Snap
by Sefilin
Summary: Duo arrives and meets his friends who decide he'd be the perfect partner for Relena... and he rather thinks so himself... Completed


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Snap  
A Gundam Wing Fic  
By Sefilin  
  
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Disclaimers: Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing copyright Sunrise,   
Bandai, Sotsu Agency  
  
Warnings: A smidgeon of bad language  
  
==========  
  
Smiling nervously, Jacinta made her way into the United Earth   
Alliance headquarters followed by two colleagues. She glanced around   
the foyer, with it's bank of ferns and large bronze statue of Atlas,   
burdened by the weight of the world on his shoulder. It was in awe   
that she gazed at the Alliance's logo, the symbol of peace and   
prosperity for most of the world. She'd lived in the city most of her   
life - evactuating during the brief war that had errupted and died   
short years ago - but had never entered the headquarters. Tourists   
were welcomed and tours held daily, but Jacinta had held to her opinion   
that it was just a building without the politicians and diplomats it   
housed.   
  
It didn't help that she was well-known herself and any venture   
into public could threaten her privacy. Even now, wrapped in a long,   
loose coat and sunglasses with her hair pulled severely back, she was   
getting curious looks from some of the others in the room.  
  
The tingle of butterflies in her stomach once more made itself   
known and threatened to bring forth nausea. She quickly made her way   
to one of the thickly-padded armchairs scattered about the room and sat   
down, taking deep breaths to calm her roiling insides. A quick,   
luminous smile graced her lips as she drew in another breath.  
  
She still couldn't believe she'd been the person chosen to   
interview Relena Darlian-Peacecraft face-to-face in the first personal   
interview she'd ever granted. The most famous woman in the world and   
_she_, Jacinta Silva, had the priviledge of conducting it. She'd spent   
hours preparing for it, sketching down possible questions and talking   
to any stray journalist or reporter who happened across her path.  
  
She occassionally became disgusted at herself with how excited   
she was by this opportunity. Especially since she'd been meeting and   
socialising with famous people for quite a while and had believed   
herself immune to this kind of awe. Then she'd think about the   
situation and become giddy again.  
  
"Where's the photographer?" the sound of her assistant's voice   
questioned quietly as she sat next to Jacinta, joined by the Media   
League's representative.  
  
Michael shrugged and let out a long-suffering sigh, "Kun Li   
managed to break his leg last night, and with all our other   
photographers out on assignment, we decided to call in a freelancer for   
the day."  
  
"Any good?" Marta asked, wanting the feature that would be put   
together from the material gathered today to be the best possible.  
  
"Yeah. You remember that exhibition, 'The Remnants'? Same guy."  
  
Jacinta looked up, relieved. Even she'd heard of the Remnants   
exhibition that had been shown just after what had come to be known as   
'The Christmas Revolution', when a small group of radical colonists had   
tried to begin another war. Remnants had received a lot of coverage,   
both because of the gorgeous photographs and because the idea of war as   
a waste had been very big. Relena had even been photographed in front   
of one of the most famous and widespread images from the exhibit - a   
picture taken from inside the twisted wreck of a mobile suit, floating   
in space, clean-up crews gathering something like it in the distance.   
But what made the picture so memorable was the splatter of blood,   
frozen into glittering crystals by the void of space, that sat against   
the metal of the cockpit, half-obscuring the portrait of a happy   
family.  
  
Marta frowned, "Is that such a good idea? I mean, this isn't   
exactly a war scene."  
  
"You haven't seen any of his more recent work? His pictures of   
colony-brats are being used for the campaign to raise money to assist   
in repairing some of the colonies."  
  
"Colony-brats?" a deep, amused voice asked from behind Michael,   
who swung around and came face-to-face with their photographer. "Hi,   
I'm Duo Maxwell, your photographer for the day."  
  
Jacinta took in the laughing violet-blue eyes, wide smile and   
thick braid, wondering if the guy was telling the truth. He had the   
camera bag, but how could someone as happy and carefree as this be the   
same person who had caught the despair of the survivors so vividly on   
film?  
  
Michael smiled back, shaking hands with the man, "Glad you were   
available, Maxwell. We were on the verge of pulling Gregori in."  
  
A laugh: "Glad I could save you from that disaster, Mike."  
  
Jacinta turned away, satisfied that Michael obviously knew who he   
was dealing with. She began to run through her mental notes once again   
as they continued to wait. Marta had previously let the receptionists   
know they were there and they'd promised to let them know when Relena   
was ready to receive them.  
  
Which would seem to be now.  
  
A uniformed guard appeared and politely informed them to follow   
him. He handed out a handful of security passes which they obediently   
attached to their clothing, then followed behind the guard as he headed   
for the elevators. They rode up in amicable silence, until Maxwell   
decided to break it.  
  
"So, any of you ever met Relena before?"  
  
There was a general shaking of their heads as the guard ignored   
them and Maxwell grinned, white teeth flashing.  
  
"Nervous?"  
  
Jacinta glared at the man, not wanting to be reminded by someone   
who didn't seem to be. On the plus side, both Marta and Michael had   
started, thinking they'd been doing a good job of supressing something   
they didn't think they should be feeling.  
  
Maxwell laughed again and swung his camera bag onto his other   
shoulder, opened his mouth and was interrupted by the ding of the   
elevator opening. They stepped out into a carpeted hallway that moved   
away from them in both directions. The guard moved to the left, once   
more indicating for them to follow and they soon found themselves   
before oak doors, the glass panels in them proclaiming that this was   
the office of Relena Darlian-Peacecraft, Foreign Minister.   
  
They stepped into the reception area and the blonde man sitting   
at the desk stood, smiling at them warmly, "Welcome. Miss Peacecraft   
is waiting for you inside." He opened the door to the inner office and   
the cold-eyed man sitting against the wall watched them all carefully   
as they crossed the room. Given the neat suit and demeanour, Jacinta   
immediately pegged him as a bodyguard and shivered as she passed into   
the other office, glad to be out from under his gaze.   
  
Then, as she glanced around the room, her gaze clashed with one   
even colder and far more intense. For a brief second she forgot her   
nervousness and excitement; caught in the feeling of being trapped   
until the eyes moved beyond her. Another bodyguard. Then her breath   
caught and she found herself smiling in reply to the welcome on Relena   
Peacecraft's face.  
  
"Welcome. I do hope this afternoon will go well," she spoke   
quietly, the familiar voice pitched to soothe nerves and calm   
expectations.  
  
Jacinta nodded in relief, relaxing suddenly, "So do I, Relena-  
sama."  
  
A harsh nasal voice broke in on their moment of ice-breaking, and   
both swung around in surprise, "Duo, what the hell are you doing here?"  
  
The photographer was grinning cheerfully at the bodyguard, "Hey,   
Heero. Long time no see, man."  
  
"Maxwell!" Relena exclaimed in what sounded like surprised   
pleasure, moving towards the braided man. Her expression had relaxed   
into an openess Jacinta had never seen before in all her public and not   
so public appearances and she began to wonder why Maxwell had that   
effect.  
  
"Relena-jousan. You're looking good."  
  
Relena laughed, "I'm glad you think so. Where have you been for   
the last few years?"  
  
"Here and there," he waved his hand dismissively, sending a   
message towards Heero with his eyes then dumping his camera bag on the   
couch. "But this is meant to be an interview where Miss Silva asks you   
questions, ne?"  
  
The openess in Relena was abruptly gone, the completely   
controlled stateswoman taking her place once more. She smiled a   
practiced smile and bowed her head in agreement, "I guess so. We'll   
have to talk latter."  
  
Duo's grin turned rueful at that and he shrugged before busying   
himself with his gear.  
  
Jacinta, Michael and Marta recovered from their surprise and went   
back to doing their jobs, though each made a mental note to interrogate   
Maxwell as soon as they were alone. How did he know Relena? Why did   
she seem so happy to see him? There were questions to be asked and   
they all worked for the media so they were good at getting answers.  
  
==========  
  
Heero watched his fellow ex-pilot curiously as he went about   
putting his camera together, checking lighting and carefully surveying   
the room. He moved with the same careless grace as always, had the   
same energy and wore the same open expression in sparkling eyes. His   
actions bespoke a confidence and competency that was also familiar, the   
braid still reached his thighs and he was still clothed in black.   
Everything was the same as it had been the last time he'd seen Duo, but   
it shouldn't be, which was confusing him.  
  
The braided American had disappeared after the war, the knowledge   
of Hilde's death due to injuries sustained during her escape from the   
Libra seeming to have a great affect on him. None of them, except   
Quatre, had seen or heard from him between then and the time when he   
had been contacted by the Preventers to assist in the fight against   
Mariemaia, Dekim Barton and their troops. The blonde had mentioned   
seeing no difference in the pilot and Heero hadn't noticed anything   
during the operation either, but he had disappeared again after the   
rebellion had been squashed.   
  
He'd occasionally sent them all a message letting them know he   
was alive and well, peppering them with funny stories that didn't   
explain very much at all. Heero had been a bit disappointed by that;   
he'd been at the stage when having friends had sounded good and Duo   
would have been a good person to practise on.  
  
And now here he was - still the same old Duo - and he wasn't the   
least bit uncomfortable being around friends he'd left behind a few   
years before.  
  
Heero made a mental note to talk to him after the interview and   
knew Relena would be happy backing him up. She'd occasionally   
expressed worry about the ex-pilot and would quite like having it   
dispelled. He was interested in finding out too. But for the present,   
he merely watched the activity in the room without much interest,   
knowing what Relena's answers would be to most questions asked, and   
indifferent to the rooms other occupants, except Duo - who he'd be   
confronting later.  
  
The interview drew to a close an hour later and Relena turned her   
attention once more to Duo who had been snapping the occasional picture   
during the interview. Jacinta stood back, allowing Duo to take centre   
stage and Heero watched as Duo instructed Relena to arrange herself in   
various poses and display various expressions. He conducted the   
session professionally, yet managed to pull a few expressions from her   
that even he rarely saw. Three roles of film later, he thanked the   
blonde with a grin and began packing away the camera.  
  
Relena spent the next few minutes taking leave of the interview   
group, still her poised self. But, just before Duo could drift out the   
door in his colleagues wake, she laid a hand on his arm and raised an   
eyebrow.  
  
Duo sighed and directed a question to Michael, "Can you let your   
editor know I'll be by later to borrow the darkroom?"  
  
The man nodded in answer, an insatiable curiousity burning at the   
back of his eyes as he left and Heero didn't envy Duo their next   
meeting. He had the feeling there would be quite an interrogation.  
  
Relena drew Duo back to the couch, slipping her shoes off and   
curling up at one end, watching as the other man slouched onto the   
other. Heero took one of the armchairs, sick of standing and as   
interested in what was coming as the woman.  
  
"So where _have_ you been, Duo?"  
  
Pushing bangs out of his eyes, Duo shrugged, "Here and there.   
I've been wandering from Earth to the colonies and back again. Still   
haven't found anywhere to settle down and all that."  
  
There was silence for a few moments, then quietly: "Why did you   
go?"  
  
Duo's eyes locked with Relena's in surprise, "Why...?" He tipped   
his head back to look at the ceiling and pulled on the end of his   
braid, "At first, it was Hilde, I guess. I liked her, y'know?"  
  
Relena nodded, smiling.   
  
All of them had known, it _had_ been fairly obvious.  
  
"Then, it was just... I don't know. I liked Hilde, but it never   
had the chance to be anything really great, so I got over it fairly   
quickly. It was more the war I was grieving for." He paused then,   
tipping his head to one side as he went back over that. He grinned,   
"Well, not the _war_, but the results of it. That's why I started   
doing that." He pointed to the camera bag.   
  
Heero remembered the camera, having noticed it shortly after the   
end of the Mariemaia incident. Duo had pulled it from somewhere during   
the aftermath and wandered around taking pictures while emergency teams   
took over assisting the few people who had been wounded.  
  
Heero hadn't paid too much attention at the time, half-dazed as   
he was with the events of the previous hours. Then Relena had dragged   
him to the Remnants exhibition and he'd been surprised to find he   
recognised some of the scenes in the photos and that the name of the   
photographer was Duo Maxwell. He and the blonde had pondered that,   
their musings being joined by those of the other pilots at various   
meetings soon after. But they'd never been able to ask Duo why, until   
now.  
  
"And I liked it - the travelling, taking pictures and all. It   
was completely different from the war - shooting things with a camera   
instead of a gun. I also figured I could at least try to keep people   
thinking about war and what happens during it, maybe help people   
remember why peace is such a good idea."  
  
Relena nodded in sympathetic approval. Her grief over the   
results of the war was why she continued to advocate funding for the   
Preventers, even though they had become more of an anti-terrorist group   
than anything else in the past few years.  
  
"How about you guys? What have you been up to? Not including   
the stuff in the news, which I know about," Duo asked, flicking his   
eyes between the two of them, waiting for he or Relena to answer.  
  
A strange smile pulled at Relena's mouth, "Not much, I'm afraid.   
I don't get that much time to do anything but work."  
  
The American grimaced, "And I bet Heero's the same, given his   
'mission' is to keep you safe, right? You two are as bad as you used   
to be. How many times do I have to tell you? You have to make _sure_   
you have fun every now and then."  
  
Heero glared at his friend, "We tried."  
  
Duo stared at him in surprise, "You did? Amazing... What went   
wrong?"  
  
Relena let out a sigh, "Neither of us are very good at it; we   
don't really get along well with people, outside of work. We can't   
just relax and have fun."  
  
Heero nodded his agreement. Though Relena was the best diplomat   
he'd ever seen, she found it difficult to relate to people on a more   
personal level, being unable to, as she'd said, relax into casual   
encounters. He was terrible at both, finding it difficult to say more   
than a few words to a stranger in a casual setting. When he was   
briefing security and doing other job-related tasks he could find the   
words, though he remained gruff, but remove him from that sphere and he   
became practically mute.  
  
Duo shook his head in mock despair, "That's not good. In such a   
case, what is required is a large bottle of vodka or whiskey or   
something. A few glasses and your inhibitions and stuff will fly right   
out the window."  
  
Snorting, Heero replied, "Is that how you do it?"  
  
Duo laughed, "Actually, no. I don't drink. I have no need for   
it, I'm a naturally relaxed and fun-type guy."  
  
He was silently, though emphatically, agreed with.  
  
==========  
  
Later that evening, the three of them were talking over dinner at   
Relena's favourite restaurant and making a lot more noise than usual.   
They'd been getting strange looks from their usual waiter, who was very   
curious about the American with them.  
  
Relena didn't care. It was nice to be able to spend time with   
their friend after so long, to ask all the questions they'd been   
storing and to listen to the strange, sometimes funny and sometimes   
poignant anecdotes Duo kept them supplied with. And because he was   
still who he was neither she nor Heero held back from relaxing and   
letting go of some of their habitual barriers. Duo could be trusted.  
  
They'd gone through almost two bottles of wine, even though Duo   
was sticking to orange juice, and she was basking in the warm glow of   
good food, good wine and great companionship. She glanced at Heero and   
noticed that he'd lost a lot of the tenseness that usually marked him   
when he was in public and sent a silent thanks to the braided man for   
giving him that gift. For giving _them_ that gift. It had been a long   
time since she'd felt this good and knew it was the same for her   
bodyguard and best friend.  
  
The relationship between her and Heero had been clarified fairly   
early on, Duo flat out asking if they were together. She'd explained   
to him how they'd gone out for about a year before drifting comfortably   
into friendship. Neither of them had felt sexually attracted to the   
other, though, and had decided to remain friends instead of trying to   
force something that could cause them harm. Since then they'd both   
tried dating other people, but never really clicked with anyone.  
  
Duo had seemed to understand, muttering something about it being   
the same for him. They'd dropped into a semi-melancholy silence then,   
thinking about their mutual lack of a love-life, until Duo had thrown   
his head back and launched into the account of a disastrous date he'd   
had on one of the colonies. Minutes later she'd been laughing and   
Heero had a slight smile tugging at his lips.  
  
They'd talked politics for a while, Relena very interested in   
Duo's first-hand accounts of how certain policies were working out.   
He'd travelled widely in the past few years and had access to   
information she didn't. He talked to the people living in the places   
he visited, rather than communicating solely with officials.  
  
Heero had been surprised by the information he held on the   
military capabilities of the colonies and various Earth districts.   
Then Duo had told them he was still partially employed by the   
Preventers, passing on any information he thought should be passed on.   
That had explained his knowledge and Heero had conducted a mini-  
interrogation, aware that he was out of the main information loop now   
that he was working almost exclusively on Relena's security.  
  
"Why didn't Lady Une tell us about that?" Heero asked.  
  
Duo shrugged, "Who knows. Probably need-to-know and all that."  
  
Heero muttered to himself about going back to the Preventers as   
an agent, but it was something he'd been threatening fairly frequently,   
so Relena felt no need to take it seriously. She yawned instead, and   
locked gazes with Duo, who was laughing silently to himself about   
something.  
  
Relena smiled, "I think I'm going to head home. Whereabouts are   
you staying, Duo?"  
  
"I wasn't really expecting to still be here tonight, but when the   
job was offered, I couldn't pass it up."  
  
"In other words, nowhere," Heero smirked.  
  
Duo shrugged sheepishly and refrained from a vocal answer,   
leaving Relena the opportunity to invite him to stay with them.  
  
"What, you guys live together, too?"  
  
Unaccountably, Relena found herself blushing, which was something   
she hadn't done for years, "I guess it's easier that way. Before Heero   
moved into one of the suites, he'd have to go home to his apartment to   
change in the mornings."  
  
"Well, if it's no trouble, I'd like to take you up on your offer.   
The thing is, I need to get these photos developed as soon as possible,   
so it may not be till four or five in the morning that I'll finish."  
  
"That's okay. You can borrow my pass card and Heero can let   
security know to expect you."  
  
They called for a bill, and settled up before heading outside.   
Relena's limousine pulled up as they were taking their leave. Pargan   
had retired a few months ago, but the new chauffeur opened the door for   
her, Heero making a move to head around the other side of the car when   
he turned and walked back. Relena held up a hand to halt the closing   
of the car door behind her.  
  
"Take the room on the second floor, third door on the left."  
  
Relena smiled and lifted a hand in farewell before they pulled   
out into traffic and headed for her mansion, streetlights illuminating   
the interior in strips of orange and gold.  
  
Laying her head back on the seat, she allowed her eyes to drift   
shut, "Mmm." She felt, more than heard, Heero turn to look at her and   
couldn't help but smile. Her best friend in the whole world, who was   
always there for her. Every now and then she found herself wishing   
that their relationship was physical as well as emotional, but there   
was no way she would jeopardise what they had.   
  
"He seems happy," Heero said quietly.  
  
"Mmm. I guess he does, he's always seemed to be that way   
though."  
  
"He still knows who he is."  
  
Relena pondered that for a moment, knowing that Heero's harsh,   
silent exterior masked an empathic being whose advice and views she   
valued highly. She turned her thoughts to Duo, remembering him as he   
had been during the war and how he had been tonight and concluded that   
Heero was right. Maybe that was why he was always able to remain   
positive - because he knew who he was and therefore knew what he was   
capable of. He had never been afraid to die, his peace having been   
made with the world, though that same peace meant he had fought hard to   
remain alive.  
  
"He does, doesn't he? I wonder why he took the job, when he   
hasn't really kept in contact for so long?"  
  
Shifting on the seat across from her, Heero replied, "He was   
ready to talk."  
  
Relena frowned, "But if he got over it as quickly as he said, why   
didn't he talk earlier?"  
  
Heero shrugged, "Who knows? This is Duo; maybe he was   
embarrassed by his disappearance, maybe he was having fun, maybe he was   
never in the right place at the right time to see us. We do all move   
around a fair amount, even if only for short periods of time and he did   
keep in contact with all of us."  
  
"I guess," she agreed. "It's good to see he's happy." Then she   
smirked, "I wonder what he'd think to hear you talking so much?"  
  
A snort of laughter, "He'd probably congratulate you for doing   
such a good job with me."  
  
Relena opened her eyes and cast an amused glance at her friend,   
"I can see him doing that."  
  
They lapsed into comfortable silence and Relena was asleep by the   
time they arrived at the mansion, stirring, but not fully waking when   
Heero lifted her out of the car and carried her to her room.  
  
==========  
  
Duo made his way into the media office, a yawn catching him off   
guard as he flipped his press pass at the security guard, who ticked   
his name off on some list and waved him through. He had no companions   
on his trip up to the fourth floor, and stepped into the darkened art   
and design department.  
  
There were a few lights scattered here and there across the room,   
heads bent over drawing boards or illuminated by computer screens, and   
soft, tinny music played. Sauntering through the room, he headed for   
the darkroom, an almost-silent whistle moving through his teeth.  
  
He'd had a great time that evening, seeing Heero and Relena again   
for the first time in years and catching up with what was going on both   
with them and their other friends from the wars - Wufei, Quatre, Trowa,   
Zechs, Sally, Noin, Catherine, Lady Une and Mariamaia amongst them.   
He'd been missing out on a lot by not making time in his wanderings to   
see them.  
  
And now rumour had it that Sally had finally suckered Wufei into   
proposing, which would result in an embarassingly huge wedding and   
Wufei wondering what the hell had hit him. Duo grinned to himself at   
the thought, looking forwards to the event he was absolutely sure would   
happen; Sally wasn't about to let Wufei get away after this long.   
Relena had agreed with him, the two of them laughing at the thought   
while Heero smiled, actually understanding their amusement.  
  
That was when Duo decided Relena had done a great job of   
humanising the terrific soldier. He had seen the changes when he'd   
stepped into the office and the afternoon and evening had confirmed   
that for him. His grin widened and softened into something happy as he   
remembered the obviously close relationship between the Foreign   
Minister and her Chief of Security. They each had someone to lean on.  
  
"Had a nice night, Maxwell?"  
  
Duo glanced upwards, mouth still holding the absent smile as he   
noticed a small group of people camped out at a desk close to the   
darkroom.  
  
Michael was ensconced in the desk chair, leaning casually   
backwards, a styrofoam cup held in a hand. Marta sat on the desk   
itself, legs swinging very gently back and forwards, her grey eyes   
watching him curiously. And finally, Jacinta had pulled up another   
chair and was sitting, cross-legged with her chin propped in her hands,   
elbows planted on the desk. She was also watching him curiously, dark   
eyes looking vaguely mysterious in the darkened office.  
  
"Mm," Duo mumbled. He'd hoped to get out of this interrogation,   
but it looked like Mike knew him well enough from previous encounters   
to know he'd likely take off directly after finishing the photos.  
  
"So..."   
  
Duo blinked then sighed, "Yeah. So."  
  
"Mind if I ask how you happen to know Relena Darlian-Peacecraft   
and her infamous Chief of Security?"  
  
Slipping his bag off his shoulder, Duo dropped it onto the table   
and undid the zips before dragging out the films full of pictures of   
his friends. He smiled involuntarily, wondering if Heero had noticed   
he was the subject of a few pictures. He didn't have any pictures of   
most of his friends from the war and he was nothing if not an   
opportunist.  
  
"We met a few years back."  
  
"Uhuh. How? According to your bio, you're from L2 and lived   
there most of your life until you did the Remnants."  
  
Duo nodded, "Yep, that's right. I'm one of those colony-brats   
you mentioned earlier today. Doesn't mean Heero and Relena didn't end   
up on the colonies though."  
  
Jacinta snorted in a most unladylike fashion and Duo cast her a   
look, coming to the conclusion she wasn't quite the person she was on   
screen.  
  
"Even so, where would you have met them on the colonies? You   
don't normally work at receptions and talks."   
  
Shoving the films into the deep pockets of his black trousers,   
Duo sighed, "True. This is the closest I've ever come and I only   
accepted 'cause it was Relena."  
  
Then dark eyes widened and Jacinta straightened from her position   
slumped against the desk, "It wasn't during the Christmas Revolution,   
was it? Some of your photos were from there and both of them played a   
large part in taking the rebels down."  
  
Marta blinked, "Actually, that's true, isn't it. I remember   
seeing some of those pictures and Heero Yuy was one of those Gundam   
pilots, right?"  
  
Michael nodded, but didn't take his eyes off Duo, waiting for a   
clue as he was, "Yeah."  
  
Duo glanced at each of them, trying to decided whether to tell   
them or not. Then his habit of secrecy overwhelmed whatever urge he'd   
been having to tell them the truth. But he couldn't lie either. Damn.  
  
He shrugged, "I actually met them a little before that. I'd   
managed to make my way to Earth and was wandering around when I kind of   
ran into them." Ambushing Heero on a submarine to keep him from   
killing Relena was close enough to running into someone, right?   
Metaphorically speaking anyway, and they didn't need to know how long   
it was before the Mariamaia incident that he'd met them.  
  
"Maybe, but what aren't you telling us?" Jacinta asked, her eyes   
disconcertingly sharp.  
  
Running through a few options, he finally settled on one that   
was, again, not quite the whole truth. "Relena and Heero would rather   
I not tell. They, er, don't want it to be widely known. Sorry."  
  
"Yeah, right," Mike muttered, knowing he was anything but. Yet   
still they backed off; which didn't mean they wouldn't try to find out   
what they could through other means.  
  
Duo grinned at them all, "So, would you mind if I developed   
these?" He jiggled the films that were still in his pocket and saluted   
their reluctant agreement.  
  
Taking his leave, he stepped into the darkroom with a sigh of   
relief and shut the door behind him, flipping the switch that would   
activate the red light outside the door and set to work. He poured out   
trays of developer and finisher, wrinkling his nose at the familiar   
smell of the vaguely sour chemicals and set about developing. Strange   
how this process hadn't changed much in the last however-many hundred   
years. Though digital cameras were used fairly frequently, nothing   
beat a photograph for clarity and sentimentality.  
  
He attached a strip of negatives to the light box and began   
running his eyes over them. He browsed through the pictures of Heero   
first, choosing three good ones to develop, then chose all the ones of   
Relena that were good enough to be published in a high-quality magazine   
like the one the article would feature in.  
  
He hummed to himself after that as he went about developing   
pictures of two very good friends. He muttered enviously over Heero's   
eyes for a time, wishing his were as intense, instead of being the   
cheerful sparkling blue-violet orbs they actually were. He smiled at   
one of the photos, where he'd managed to catch Heero's irritated scowl,   
where his heavy brows were drawn together and his dark hair fell into   
eyes that glinted with fire. He hung that picture up to dry and   
immediately set to work on a second, positive that Relena would   
appreciate a copy.  
  
He did a copy of the other two pictures of Heero as well, then   
set them aside to work on the ones of Relena. She had become a real   
beauty, he noted as he ran his eyes over her elegant bone structure,   
gorgeous eyes and sophisticated body language. She'd grown up into   
someone stunning on the outside as well as the inside. It was too dark   
for him to truly appreciate the work he'd done, and the appearance of   
his subject, but knew it was good and would do justice to his friend.   
  
He did a few extra copies of some of the pictures for Heero and   
set about cleaning up as the pictures dried. Once that was done, he   
piled the photos, now dry, into a folder for the purpose and drifted   
back out into the office.  
  
The number of lights shining was now fewer than when he'd   
entered, and the radio that had been playing had fallen silent, leaving   
only the gentle humming of various electrical equipment to fall upon   
his ears. He placed the folder on the desk and stretched before   
folding himself into the chair that Mike no longer occupied and flipped   
open the folder. The desklamp came on next, spilling a small pool of   
white-gold light over a glossy picture of Relena, curled up on a sofa   
with her practised smile on her face. The afternoon sunlight spilling   
in through the office windows picked out golden highlights in the   
tendrils of hair that spilled from her chignon softened the face of a   
serious politician.  
  
The next picture was similar, though her position was more   
formal, her feet planted firmly on the floor and an intense look in her   
eyes. Her hand was lifted in a gesture to emphasise whatever point she   
was making. That one had been taken during the interview, when she'd   
been completely absorbed by the topic and had forgotten his exsistence.   
The passionate politician.  
  
Duo caught his breath when he flipped that photo over, revealing   
something quite different underneath. His heart was suddenly beating   
faster and there was a pressure in his chest; something he hadn't felt   
since just after Hilde's death.  
  
It had been the last picture he'd taken before beginning the   
photo shoot proper and Relena had just finished speaking to Jacinta.   
She'd tilted her head back and to the side very slightly, exposing a   
length of her vulnerable neck. Her hair brushed against it lightly,   
shadows painting it in tones of peaches and cream. Her lips were   
parted ever so slightly into the smallest of smiles, her lip gloss   
highlighting their lushness. A cresent of dark lashes lay against her   
cheeks, only the slightest hint of a deep and mysterious blue peeking   
from between them.  
  
Dizzily, Duo wondered if it was possible to fall in love with an   
image, because he had the sneaking suspicion that he just had. He'd   
never seen anything so feminine and unconsciously sensual in his life   
and it hit him with all the subtlty of one of Heero or Trowa's punches   
to the stomach. His fingers traced the face in the photograph,   
drifting down the length of neck and up again as he stared in awed   
fascination.  
  
A door slammed somewhere closeby and Duo started, glancing   
upwards and quickly flipping the picture over at the same time, heart   
still beating rapidly. He blinked into the darkness that shrouded the   
majority of the office and waited for his pulse to slow and the flush   
that had painted his cheeks to subside.  
  
Then he glanced down, glancing briefly at the picture before   
placing it to one side. There was no way he was going to let the   
magazine have that picture. He flipped quickly through the rest of   
them, making sure their was nothing similar within the pile. Gathering   
the copies he'd made for Relena and Heero and sliding the other picture   
between them, he shut the folder, shouldered his camera bag and headed   
out of the office. He slipped the folder into the inbox on Mike's desk   
and took the lift downstairs before heading out into the small hours of   
the morning and to Relena's mansion.  
  
==========  
  
Heero woke early, as he always did and immediately got himself   
out of bed. It was hard to resist the temptation to remain warm and   
comfortable for just a few moments longer, but a lifetime of habit and   
the temptation itself was enough to motivate him. He stretched and   
pulled on a robe, heading for the ensuite bathroom and a shower to wash   
the last of the sleep from his eyes. Then it was a matter of making   
the bed to keep from falling back into the mess of sheets and blankets   
that was such an effective siren.  
  
He sighed as he pushed his wet hair out of his eyes and stood   
back to examine his handiwork, admiring the sharp angles and perfectly   
smooth navy coverlet. Bed had always been a temptation to fight   
against for him, and the less sleep he managed to get, the more   
inviting it looked. Strange that everyone believed, back during the   
war and it's aftermath, that Duo was the lazier one because he slept   
in, but Heero knew the truth. If he'd had the luxury of time, he would   
sleep till noon everyday. In contrast, though Duo made sure he got a   
full eight hours whenever possible, his friend felt no real desire to   
remain bundled up in bed for any longer than that.  
  
Turning to leave, Heero cast a last glance over his shoulder,   
then headed for the kitchen to grab his habitual cup of coffee before   
checking out the security office. Every morning, he checked with the   
night guard to make sure they hadn't had uninvited visitors and to   
brief them on anything special happening that day. Then he'd check his   
messages, answer those he could and head for breakfast with Relena in   
the morning room.  
  
He arrived to find her dressed but void of makeup, her hair loose   
and hanging about her shoulders.  
  
"Good morning, Heero."  
  
"Good morning."  
  
Breakfast was normally conducted in silence, neither of them   
truly wanting to break the peace that only existed first thing in the   
morning, before the call of Relena's job. But Heero decided to break   
the silence today.  
  
"Duo came in last night," he murmured, buttering a slice of   
toast.  
  
Relena looked up and smiled, "No problems?"  
  
Heero sent her an offended glance, "Of course not." His small   
staff were highly-trained professionals and weren't about to start   
ignoring his orders or misinterpreting them now.  
  
Waving a placating hand, Relena glanced behind him and Heero   
watched her eyes light up before he turned to see their guest.  
  
Duo was standing in the doorway yawning widely, dressed in a   
loose black shirt and black trousers. He pushed his messy, damp bangs   
out of his eyes and grinned tiredly at them, "Morning."  
  
"Good morning, Duo. Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Sure. Comfortable bed and all. Just wish I could've slept   
longer." He moved over to the table, dropping a folder onto the table   
in front of him and folding into the chair. He stretched, and Heero   
just happened to notice Relena noticing. His gaze was thoughtful when   
he turned it back to Duo who was thanking the housekepper who'd bought   
in a plate and steaming mug of coffee for him.   
  
So Relena was still attracted to Duo, huh? He remembered the way   
she'd reacted to him back when they were all teenagers, though she'd   
believed herself to be in love with him at the time. Heero had been   
rather thankful for that, believing he himself could fall for Relena.   
Then Duo had disappeared and it hadn't mattered much.  
  
But now...  
  
He let his eyes roam over his friend and came to the conclusion   
that Relena could do worse. Duo was one of the few people in the world   
Heero would entrust her too. He was smart, competent, warm,   
affectionate, loyal and wouldn't dream of doing anything to hurt her.   
All in all, just what Heero wanted in Relena's future partner - if she   
had to have one at all.  
  
His mind started working double time as he began to think up   
reasons for Duo to stay, to spend time with Relena and possibly let   
something develop.  
  
"Oh," Duo suddenly said, putting down the mug he'd had his hands   
wrapped around and glancing from Relena to Heero. "I've got something   
for you." His hand went to the folder on the table in front of him and   
he opened it, flipping through it's contents before pulling out what   
looked like a sheaf of photographs.  
  
"Neither of you striking me as the type that would bother with   
pictures, I figured I'd let you have these." He handed one sheaf to   
Relena and another to Heero, who found himself glancing at a picture of   
Relena that had obviously been taken yesterday. He took it in   
silently, appreciating Duo's talent, then flipped through the others,   
each as good as the last.  
  
He looked up at Duo, "Thanks."  
  
The American shrugged and grinned, "Sure thing, man."  
  
"Yes, thank you, Duo. They're... beautiful. I don't think I   
have any pictures of Heero."  
  
Heero jerked his head around, a frown drawing his brows down,   
"What?" Pictures of _him_? When had Duo managed to get his hands on   
them?  
  
Relena kindly passed them across and he found himself looking at   
himself. The three pictures had also been taken yesterday and Heero   
found himself surprised at the various expressions he'd been caught   
with. He hadn't thought he was that easy to read. Or maybe it was   
Duo's talent with a camera and his sense of timing that managed to   
catch them.  
  
Relena, looking through the pictures of herself, drew in a   
breath, "Duo... You're _good_."  
  
The other man laughed at that, "I know. I'm one of about five   
photographers in the galaxy who are actually well-known. Which is   
cool; I get pretty big paychecks."  
  
She spent the rest of breakfast - all five minutes of it - poring   
through both lots of pictures as Duo ate and Heero watched them both.   
Then Relena went off to put her makeup on and do her hair and Heero was   
left alone to try and persuade Duo to stay a while longer.  
  
"So, what do you have planned now?"  
  
Duo yawned again and shrugged, "This and that. Have to go see   
someone this morning, since I'm still around. After that though,   
there's nothing concrete lined up for about a month."  
  
"You going to stay here for a while?"  
  
Duo looked across the table, "Hadn't planned on it. Why?"  
  
Heero swallowed and prepared to instigate the first part of his   
first attempt at matchmaking, "Uh, well, you could stay here. Do some   
catching up. Sally's been telling us the wedding will be in two months   
time and Quatre, Trowa, Zechs, Noin and Catherine will be arriving   
before that. Quatre's been trying to organise a reunion and this is a   
good place to hold it."  
  
Duo was gaping at him in mock astonishment, "Man, I don't think   
I've heard you speak that much at one time before." He grinned at   
Heero's growl and shrugged. "I guess I could. It can get a little   
tiring at times, never staying in one place very long and I know of a   
few places around here I want to visit."  
  
Heero blinked. Was that a yes? He hadn't expected that so soon,   
had, in fact, been gearing himself up for a rather longer conversation   
in order to convince the wandering spirit to put down roots for a   
while.  
  
"Besides, it's good seeing you guys again and I'd like to see the   
others too," the smile on Duo's face shone forth from his eyes.  
  
Heero nodded and decided he wouldn't give Duo a chance to change   
his mind, "Good. You can stay in the room you were in last night and   
I'll get you a security pass card. That way you can go out when you   
want. For now though, keep Relena's."  
  
"That would be great. Well, I'd better get my stuff together and   
go or I'll be late meeting Campbell. I guess I'll see you later."  
  
Heero lifted a hand as he left the room, then grumbled briefly to   
himself. Did Duo _have_ to seem so happy to comply? Why couldn't he   
have put up a little more resistance?   
  
Pushing his chair back with more force than absolutely necessary,   
he stood and followed his friend out of the room, met Relena at the   
door and headed for the United Earth Alliance Headquarters.  
  
==========  
  
Relena found herself losing patience with her secretary and   
fellow ministers the later it got and she didn't know why. Usually she   
felt no real preference for her home, but today there was anticipation   
thrumming through her.   
  
The only thing different about today would be Duo's presence and   
it couldn't be that. Sure he was fun, a great conversationalist, warm,   
mature, self-possessed, really good at photography and rather cute too,   
with that intriguing braid and laughing eyes... Relena blinked at her   
secretary a few times and shook her head. It _couldn't_ be Duo - he   
was, well, Duo. It had to be something else.  
  
"You _don't_ want to see Minister Goldsmith?"  
  
Her secretary's surprised question intruded on her thoughts and   
she lowered her brows in confusion, "What?"  
  
The blonde shifted her papers from one hand to the other, "I   
asked if you wanted to see Minister Goldsmith. He's in the other room   
now."  
  
"Oh!" Relena flushed a little and pulled her thoughts firmly away   
from a certain braided American, "Yes, I do. Sorry, I'm a little..."  
  
Eve smiled, "It's okay. We all have days like that. I'll send   
him through. Will you need anything?"  
  
"I'll need you to take notes and we may need coffee or something.   
We'll have to wait and see what he wants though."  
  
Eve nodded and ushered Goldsmith and his own assistant in,   
quietly asking if they would like anything. Relena stood as Goldsmith   
requested tea and indicated she'd have the same before directing the   
corpulant Minister onto the sofa across from her. She watched as he   
lowered himself onto the velvet-upholstered seat and found herself   
wishing it was Duo.   
  
At that thought she closed her eyes briefly and admitted to   
herself she was looking forwards to seeing him later that evening and   
sent a silent thank you to Heero for convincing him to stay a while.   
  
It was about then that she realised Heero had been suspisciously   
absent for most of the day, leaving just a single member of security in   
the reception area just outside. She began to wonder what he was up to   
as she and the Minister launched into trade discussions. He'd never   
left her alone like this before, even when they were miles away from   
anyone and behind a series of security perimeters and booby traps that   
would foil the best of terrorists.  
  
She'd found his security measures amusing at the best of times   
and comforting at the worst, but she'd never had reason to question   
them because he'd always been there as a reminder.  
  
Her attention started wandering a little as the discussion began   
to drag, repetition becoming the majority of the conversation. Her   
thoughts began to dwell with more force on Duo's presence and Heero's   
absence until it was necessary to expel a heartfelt sigh of relief when   
Goldsmith finally left.  
  
Then she stood, ready to leave everything behind and head home.   
She smiled tiredly at Eve who returned it with sympathy and stood.   
  
"Heero called. He said he'd be here shortly."  
  
Sure enough, seconds later he appeared out of the elevator that   
she'd been walking towards, a few papers held casually in his hand.   
She murmured a quiet greeting then asked what he'd been doing in a way   
that made it clear she expected an answer.  
  
Heero shrugged and didn't say anything.  
  
==========  
  
Duo threw himself on top of the large bed in the room Heero had   
assigned him too and moaned in pleasure. He'd been out all day and on   
top of the lack of sleep the night before, he was exhausted.  
  
It had been a split-second decision the previous afternoon to get   
in contact with the firm that handled a number of his investments and   
it had turned out to be a bad one. Or complicated in any case. The   
consultant had taken the chance to go over his entire portfolio and   
make suggestions on everything. She hadn't believed someone as young   
as Duo had the ability to grasp the concepts behind investing.   
Consequently, she'd expected him to agree with her every suggestion.   
He hadn't, which had led to louder explanations, as if she thought   
volume would make a difference.  
  
The consultant had finally agreed to _his_ suggestions, although   
with bad grace and Duo had been free to head back, only to end up in a   
traffic jam. At least he'd been on public transport through the hour   
long delay though and had managed to get a few interesting pictures.   
Halfway through the ride, he'd been so bored he'd walked off the bus   
and headed for the closest cafe, drinking a moccachino before heading   
for Relena's. The walk had taken him a good four hours, but he'd   
enjoyed the mild weather and the changing architecture that ranged   
through the cities districts. Admittedly, the four hours had been   
partly his fault for stopping off at a park in one of the neighbouring   
suburbs and kicking a ball around with the local kids.   
  
Which, altogether, did a good job of explaining why he was   
completely exhausted and had been glad to come in and fall across the   
bed.   
  
He was on the verge of sleep when a knock fell on his door and he   
rolled over to find Heero slipping inside, shutting the door behind him   
in silence, "Hey man, what's up?"  
  
Heero moved closer and settled himself tentatively on the side of   
the bed, "Uh..."  
  
Duo yawned and waited a little longer, eyelids still heavy from   
his almost-sleep.  
  
"It's... I was wondering if..."  
  
Duo frowned at the broken slice of dialogue from the usually   
well-spoken man and sat up, folding his legs under him on the bed and   
facing his friend, "Mmm?"  
  
"Relena... I..."  
  
"Heero, just say it. I doubt it's that bad."  
  
Heero glared fairly mildly, drew in a breath and tried again,   
"Can you look after Relena for a while?"  
  
Frowning again, Duo tilted his head to one side, "What's going   
on?"  
  
"I was hoping to, er, have a break," he answered, as if he didn't   
quite understand what he was saying. There was a pause as Heero   
digested his own words at the same time as Duo, then continued on with   
more confidence. "I wouldn't trust anyone else to take care of her if   
I left, but I've been meaning to go see Trowa and Quatre. Since you're   
here, I can."  
  
Duo looked at Heero for a while, wondering what was going through   
his friend's head as his fingers twitched and he waited for Duo's   
reply. The scenario seemed probable enough - or would if it was anyone   
else but Yuy. It was the Japanese man though, and Duo figured there   
had to be more to it than that, though he was rather flattered that   
Heero felt he could trust him enough to take care of his charge, even   
after such a long absence.  
  
"Won't you be seeing Quatre and Trowa at the wedding pretty   
soon?"  
  
"Aa. Relena's been telling me to take a real holiday."  
  
Duo grinned. Well, that explained it then. He could see Relena   
telling Heero to take a holiday and then out-stubborning the guy -   
although whether she actually could, had he not arrived was another   
thing, "Ah! I see. How long you wanna be gone for?"  
  
Heero suddenly relaxed, his shoulders slumping a minute amount as   
he realised Duo was ready and willing to be persuaded, "A week or so."  
  
"That all? What kind of holiday is that?"  
  
His friend shrugged, "Can you see me taking a longer one?"  
  
Laughing, Duo agreed, leaving unspoken his affirmative to Heero's   
request.  
  
"So, I'll brief you tonight, introduce you to the rest of the   
staff, then..."  
  
"Hold it!" Duo held up a hand to stop the continuation of Heero's   
plans for him and, still laughing, gave his own version of the proposed   
events, "Tomorrow. I'm gonna sleep tonight and you can sort things out   
tomorrow."  
  
Heero's lips quirked upwards and he inclined his head, knowing   
that Duo had come in fairly late and risen early, gone out and not   
returned until a short time ago, or so the gate guards had told him,   
"You alright for arms or shall I find you a gun?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Duo glared at Heero until the other man   
shrugged, "It's a valid question, you haven't been doing anything in   
the terrorism line for a while."  
  
"Technically speaking, I've been doing it periodically since I   
left. Freelancing for the Preventers, remember?"  
  
At which point Heero took his leave, merely informing Duo that   
they were due for dinner shortly. Duo acknowledged that with a wave of   
his hand and stood, stretching after the door had closed behind his   
friend.  
  
A wide smile crossed his face then and he crossed to the desk,   
opening the top drawer and fishing out the photo he'd taken the day   
before. He drew his fingers gently across Relena's face, "So, I get to   
spend some time with you, huh, ojousan? I wonder what'll happen?"  
  
Sighing, he replaced the photo and pulled his shirt off, tossing   
it over the back of a chair before heading for a shower then dinner.  
  
==========  
  
Heero sighed as he paused outside Duo's door, glad that had gone   
reasonably well. It rather surprised him that he found it difficult to   
disseminate and was glad his poker face had stood him in good stead   
despite his inner discomfort. Now all he had to do was organise to   
stay with Quatre and Trowa, because Duo was going to ask them about the   
holiday when everyone was at Wufei's wedding. If he was unfortunate,   
he was going to have to actually take a holiday, though there were a   
few security jobs he'd been meaning to do that required programming   
time he hadn't had. He'd take his laptop with him and work on that.  
  
Satisfied with his plans, he slipped into his suite and headed   
for the phone where he got through to Quatre and set things up. The   
blonde was surprised by the purpose of the call, delighted with the   
news of Duo's return and very willing to help Heero with his   
matchmaking.   
  
At which point Heero blinked and realised he'd just told the   
other man what he was hoping for. He scowled briefly, wishing Quatre   
didn't have the ability to draw information almost effortlessly out of   
him. He sighed, reminding himself to work on that, when he was   
distracted by the resigned grin on Quatre's face as the blonde glanced   
off to the side of his monitor.  
  
"Trowa wants to help too," he said, his eyes shimmering with   
fondness as he continued to glance at his lover.  
  
Somehow, Heero just knew that the green-eyed man was laughing   
silently, his somewhat warped sense of humour having taken a hold of   
the idea and run with it. Still, there was no way he could tell Trowa   
'no' when he'd agreed to let Quatre help; nor would he anyway - Trowa   
had the wickedest line in revenge and Heero would prefer not to be on   
the receiving end.  
  
"Aa," he answered and watched a brilliant smile bloom across the   
blonde's face.  
  
"This should be fun."  
  
Heero began to get the feeling that telling Quatre might not have   
been the smartest move. Who knew how far Trowa had corrupted him,   
after all?  
  
He signed off with a sigh and leaned back. If he didn't have to   
worry about Relena's safety he was sure he'd sit back and watch things   
unfold with glee - it would serve Duo right for the things he'd done   
during the war and for leaving at the end of it. But his best friend's   
safety, and her happiness, was on line, so he'd refrain from enjoying   
the mayhem until after the wedding. And there likely would be one -   
especially if he, Trowa and Quatre had anything to stay about it.  
  
==========  
  
Duo wandered about outside the conference room, glancing out the   
window and generally driving the other security officers and Relena's   
secretary absolutely nuts. But he'd been stuck outside all morning   
while the Vice-Foreign Minister conducted a really, really long meeting   
that Duo had shaken his head at. He wasn't overly interested in   
listening in, even if the various other ministers had agreed to his   
presence within the meeting room itself. But he was new and many   
politicians had an inflated idea of how important some of their   
meetings were, so he'd been politely asked to remain outside with the   
other security staff. He'd grinned in answer, sketching a sloppy   
salute to the large, stoic agent that acted as bodyguard for the   
President.  
  
The man had been scandalised by the seeming lack of discipline   
and had been sending him disapproving glances ever since. Which didn't   
bother Duo in the least. He was used to being the centre of attention   
- whether it was positive or negative attention - and ignored it as   
successfully as he'd ignored his stockbrokers advice two days   
previously.  
  
He hadn't realised quite how boring being a bodyguard was and had   
discovered a new level of respect for Heero following the long boring   
hours of the morning. He wasn't sure how Heero'd managed to stay sane   
- if he'd started off that way - with the lack of anything to do that   
was the least bit interesting. But then, maybe his friend found   
politics more interesting than he did and had more things in common   
with his fellow bodyguards.  
  
He glanced around again, noting for the fiftieth time the clone-  
like way they seemed to dress and act, despite the differences in   
height and colouring. All of them were wearing suits in dark colours,   
with sober ties and sunglasses hiding the movement of their eyes, even   
if they were inside and everyone of them was looking around in exactly   
the same way. Apart from that, the only thing of note about _all_ of   
them was the earpiece that dangled from their left lobes and the lumps   
under their shoulders where their guns were obviously stashed.  
  
Duo sighed and went back to looking outside, deciding that the   
view was far more interesting and any suspicious movements would be   
visible in the faint reflections in the glass. Especially because none   
of the bodyguards had really moved since they'd come into the room.  
  
Duo himself was wearing his usual black and red, this time in the   
form of a loose red shirt over loose black pants topped by a black   
vest. He almost looked like Quatre, he mused to himself, apart from   
the more dramatic colours and the plain, thin gold chain around his   
neck and the braid.  
  
He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the glass,   
allowing his shoulders to drop and give the impression of being off   
guard and vulnerable, which resulted in someone actually approaching   
him.  
  
"Where's Yuy?" a man off to one side asked cautiously, many other   
questions shadowed by the spoken one.  
  
"Holiday," he replied in a murmur, not bothering to open his   
eyes.  
  
"Yuy's on holiday? Who are you?"  
  
A smile touched Duo's lips at the suggested contempt and   
disrespect. He'd definitely suceeded in getting them to underestimate   
him, which was always a good thing, though it meant having to deal with   
being spoken to as if you were an idiot - something he definitely   
wasn't. "A friend."  
  
A collective silence followed the brief statement, no one quite   
being willing to snort in disbelief. They obviously didn't know Heero   
well enough to have gotten past the icily forbidding exterior and see   
the soft and sweet interior. But then, very few people had the   
tenacity to keep wearing at him, or the kind of personality that would   
make an impression on the Japanese man. He was rather proud of being   
in that category.  
  
Before anyone else could ask anymore questions, a slew of   
secretaries poured out the conference room doors, preceding the   
politicians. Duo pushed himself away from the window, slipping through   
the mass of people and attaching himself to Relena's side long before   
she noticed he was there.  
  
She blinked in tired surprise then gave him a smile, "Thanks for   
waiting, Duo."  
  
"No problem, ojousan... besides, Heero would kill me if I didn't   
do things properly."  
  
Relena wrinkled her nose adorably and rolled her eyes, setting   
her hand on the arm he held out to her and walking with him down the   
corridor. She nodded her head in the direction of the politicians   
she'd just spent the morning talking to and tugged surreptitiously on   
his arm to get him moving a little quicker.  
  
He complied, as willing to get out of there as she was and they   
were amongst the first to reach the elevator, meaning they managed to   
head down with the last load. Silence enveloped the group within, all   
of the politicians as exhausted as Relena and the secretaries and   
bodyguards not willing to break the silence.  
  
They exited at the floor on which Relena's office was situated   
and she let his arm go, no longer needing to walk as close to him and   
he shot her hand a disappointed glance, making sure she noticed. She   
smiled a little, but didn't replace her hand where it had been and   
ignored the sigh that emerged from a smiling mouth.  
  
"So, what now, Relena?"  
  
She shrugged then, "I guess I should grab some lunch then go over   
Friday's meeting with the Ambassador from L3-77653. He wanted things   
organised as soon as possible."  
  
Duo watched her as she shuffled the papers on her desk then   
spoke, "Well, I vote for lunch. Any decent places around here?"  
  
"I usually get something sent up from Christopher's."  
  
Duo stood in silence until the blonde looked up from her desk and   
frowned at his raised eyebrows, "You get takeaways and stay inside to   
eat? Even on gorgeous days like today?"  
  
"Well, what other choice do I have?"  
  
Duo grinned, "You want choices? Okay, tell you what, you order   
the takeaways and I'll be back in a few minutes with a few for you."  
  
Relena tilted her head to one side, curiousity lighting her eyes   
and nodded slowly, "Okay, you're on. You come up with somewhere   
outside that people won't stare and I'll join you wherever it is."  
  
"Deal," Duo took a few quick steps forwards and took her hand,   
shaking it firmly before twirling around gracefully and disappearing   
out the door. He nodded to the secondary bodyguard who had followed   
them down from the conference room and grinned before calling back over   
his shoulder, "Make sure you order plenty of food!"  
  
==========  
  
Relena glanced up at the sky and smiled, wondering why she'd   
never thought of this as a solution to the lack of fresh air she   
usually had. Maybe it was because she so often found herself unable to   
think beyond the square when it came to personal difficulties or social   
possibilities.  
  
The day was clear, with an endless blue sky and puffy clouds that   
she was busy for searching pictures in. The sudden escape from the   
staid interior of the United Earth Alliance headquarters made her   
appreciate the mind of the man who lay sprawled next to her. He was   
staring up at the clouds with as much fascination as she herself and   
pointed out the visions he was seeing.   
  
Relena smiled at the sight of a crested toad and the bear riding   
a horse across a river of candy floss [1] then drew his attention to   
the strangely Wufei-shaped cloud. That sent Duo into laughter that   
tugged her smile into giggles.  
  
Duo glanced across at her, a familiar wide grin on his face that   
became a little smug at the enjoyment clearly written on her face,   
"See, I told you there were choices."  
  
Relena agreed, "Mmm, and I seriously wonder why I never thought   
of the roof as a possibility before..."  
  
Duo laughed again and they sat up, glancing around the unoccupied   
area that sat at the top of the UEA building. The roof was a blank   
expanse of concrete, apart from the small shack that was the way back   
inside and the huge sign, neon lights painting the UEA logo big enough   
to be seen miles away. Fortunately said lights were facing outwards,   
not towards the centre where Duo had spread a tablecloth he'd stolen   
from somewhere.  
  
The elegant china plates and crystal wineglasses, now holding   
scraps of lunch and dregs of wine and juice, that had ccme in the   
Christopher's picnic basket were set messily wherever was easiest and   
ignored. The briefcase she'd brought up with her, intending to work   
through Ambassador Ketchin's trade proposals was sitting, unopened   
behind them. She remained quite happy ignoring them in the pleasant   
lassitude that had overcome her after eating and drinking, content to   
watch Duo snap pictures from various positions across the roof. She   
hadn't even moved when he'd turned the camera on her for a few brief   
minutes, merely smiling and closing her eyes to enjoy the sun. Then   
he'd flopped down beside her and after long moments of silence said   
'dolphin'.   
  
That had started the cloud-watching - something Relena couldn't   
remember having done at all. Now she looked around at the remains of   
their impromptu picnic, glanced again at the forlorn briefcase and   
sighed heavily.  
  
"Back to work, huh?"  
  
Relena released another sigh and nodded, "Yeah. I do have work   
that needs to be done, no matter how much I'd rather stay up here."  
  
"Duty calls and all that? If such is the case then I guess we'd   
better call it a day and get everything together."  
  
"You're not going to try to convince me to stay out here?" she   
was actually a little surprised by that, having thought he'd be all   
into skipping out on a few more minutes of real work.  
  
Duo sent her a funny look, "For today, yeah. I'm not completely   
irresponsible, you know. There are some things that need to be done, I   
just don't believe in overworking yourself, so expect moe of the same   
tomorrow."  
  
He stood, dusted off his pants and held out a hand. She grasped   
it and felt herself being lifted to her much faster than she'd   
anticipated and found herself a closer to the American than she'd ever   
been. She glanced up at his face, startled, and wondering if it had   
been deliberate. Then she dismissed the idea because of the indentical   
expression in his eyes and the apology as he took a step back.  
  
He began packing up the picnic, leaving Relena standing in a wave   
of warmth that had remained after he'd gone and she found herself   
reluctant to move. She bent and helped Duo, though, her thoughts on   
her curious reaction to Duo's warmth. And she admitted what she'd been   
avoiding for the past few days - she was attracted to the braided man.   
It was sudden, but there it was. She liked him and she liked him   
flirting with her and she thought that maybe she would be willing to   
try for more if Duo was.  
  
She smiled at Duo as he lifted the newly packed basket, took her   
briefcase in his other hand and preceded her back inside.   
  
==========  
  
The shift of cloth and the squeak of leather from across the room   
sounded loud in the silence. The flickering lights died suddenly,   
leaving only a slight glow coming from the movie screen that took up an   
entire wall.  
  
Heero sighed and glanced at his two friends curled up on the sofa   
across from him, almost smiling at the sight of the entwined figures.   
Trowa was asleep against Quatre's shoulder, not having managed to last   
out the movie they'd been watching. Admittedly, it was the fourth for   
the afternoon, which made it that much easier, and the presence of his   
lover would have helped also. The nature of the movies was the final   
straw. He himself had found it a little difficult to remain awake   
himself and stifled yet another yawn as he moved reluctantly to replace   
the video disc with another from the pile stacked next to the   
entetainment system.  
  
"Give it up for today Heero, you've got enough data to work with   
for the rest of the evening and you can start again tomorrow."  
  
The low-pitched whisper drifted across the room, careful not to   
wake the sleeping man and Heero turned in Quatre's direction. The   
blonde smiled at him and shrugged.  
  
"Trowa's asleep, I want to go to bed and you've been yawning   
through the last two movies. Romantic movies aren't exactly to any of   
our tastes and overindulging isn't the way to go."  
  
Heero ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "I guess you're   
right." He stood and moved towards the sofa. "You need a hand with   
him?"  
  
Quatre laughed softly, "No, it's okay, this isn't the first time.   
Any movie without loud explosions put him to sleep."  
  
Heero's eyebrow rose in surprise. Interesting. He would have   
figured Trowa for the long artsy-type movies that bored anyone without   
intelligence, pretentiousness and infinite patience to tears. Or   
people like Relena, given that she seemed to like the occassional one   
or two. He did, however, know that there were depths to Trowa that   
Quatre had - maybe - tapped.  
  
He shared a glance with Quatre over the slumped head of brown   
hair and nodded his goodnight before heading for his room and the   
laptop installed on the desk. He tipped his head back a little as the   
computer loaded and began to consider what he'd seen and plan possible   
plans that would work.  
  
Factoring the different personalities, Heero thought that the   
basic ideas of matchmaking he'd been watching over the last few days   
would work quite well. He quickly typed up basic outlines, planning on   
adding detail when he had Relena's and Duo's schedules available to   
him.  
  
There was the jealousy scenario, which would have to be added in   
later on, given that there needed to be a certain amount of   
possessiveness within the two targets first. Maybe after the   
mysterious notes and the getting stuck together in some out of the way   
place. Those being the most common situations that worked in multiple   
movies, there had to be something in them, right?  
  
Feeling a little happier about his plans, Heero stretched and   
considered bed. He'd talk things over with Trowa and Quatre the day   
after and hear their thoughts, watch a few more romantic movies and   
head back to Relena at the end of the week.  
  
==========  
  
Relena yawned surreptitiously into her hand, listening intently   
to the Ambassador's summary of the problems his colony wanted addressed   
in regards to trade. Relena agreed that there was a problem and had   
been mulling over possible solutions in her mind while listening to the   
man talk. He and his colony had come up with most of them themselves   
as well as a few that wouldn't work given that most of their trade was   
for ore and they were competing with a few companies on Earth who also   
had the right to trade.  
  
The Ambassador paused in his address and Relena regarded him   
curiously, "Is something wrong, Mr McKnowles?"  
  
"I'm fine, Miss Darlian, I was merely wondering if I was boring   
you?"  
  
The touch of dissapproval in his voice made Relena frown as much   
as his half-question and she wondered what she'd done to give that   
impression. Then she recalled the yawn and shook her head a slightly,   
smiling, "Not at all. I'm just a little tired at the moment. Please,   
continue."  
  
McKnowles regarded her suspisciously for a few moments then   
nodded once and continued. Relena sighed mentally in relief and hoped   
that any tiredness on her part wasn't going to be a problem in the   
future. Admittedly, it was unusual for her to be this tired, but she   
and Duo had been spending long hours talking in the evenings and she'd   
had no desire to break them off short.   
  
If it was going to effect her work, though, maybe she was going   
to have to break things off sooner. Then she realised that Heero would   
be back that evening and Duo would probably be moving on, so there was   
no need to worry about it. Her spirits sank suddenly and it wasn't   
until she realised that the suspiscious look was back on McKnowles'   
face that she'd actually stopped listening this time.   
  
She whacked herself mentally over the head, gave McMillan an   
encouraging smile and concentrated hard on listening for the remainder   
of the meeting. She stood and expressed her appreciation of the time   
he'd taken to bring the matter to her attention, he'd reciprocated and   
left.  
  
Relena then collapsed back into her chair and rubbed at the   
bridge of her nose. When Duo started muddling her thoughts during   
important meetings, she knew she cared more than she'd thought and   
sighed, hoping it wasn't going to get worse.   
  
But then, if Duo was leaving, there wasn't going to be that   
problem, now was there? She crossed her arms across her desk and   
rested her forehead against them with a sigh, wishing Duo was there to   
cheer her up a little. Maybe take her up to watch the sunset from the   
roof again, before heading home for takeaway pizza...  
  
Oh yeah, she thought to herself, she was falling hard.  
  
Well, if Duo _was_ going to leave, she may as well spend as much   
time with him as possible. So thinking, she stood and gathered her   
coat and bag, debating the files stacked neatly on the corner of her   
desk and dismissing them. Apart from the fact that she'd likely spend   
all evening talking to Duo again, Heero was also going to be back.   
  
She slipped out of the office, nodding to the bodyguard that had   
replaced Duo for the afternoon while he'd gone off to speak to the   
newspaper he'd taken the pictures of her for.  
  
The bodyguard stood from his seat against the wall and walked to   
the door, taking a hold of the handle in order to open it. He tried a   
few times and bent down to look at it curiously when it didn't open.  
  
"The door seems to be locked, Relena-sama," there was a note of   
confusion in his voice that matched the puzzled look on his face.  
  
Relena was also a little puzzled, the door was never locked when   
she was inside, her secretary knowing she liked to be available to   
people, no matter what she was doing. Even stranger was the fact that   
her secretary had left early to pick up his children, content in the   
knowledge that Relena would lock the office instead. She knew she   
hadn't locked it, which left her puzzled and, the more she thought   
about it, the more anxious.  
  
Her anxiety was also mirrored in the Doug's face, which did   
absolutely nothing to comfort her.   
  
"I wish Duo was here," she muttered under her breath, without   
enough volume for the other bodyguard to hear and become offended.   
  
She stepped forwards and examined the lock herself, also noting   
that the secondary locks had been jammed in place - the ones designed   
to withstand a miniature assault force. Making her way to the security   
console disguised as a polished wooden cabinet, she examined the   
blinking red light that indicated the status as locked, and jammed that   
way.   
  
Her anxiety increased and she made way for Doug who examined   
things for himself, played around with the settings a bit and had no   
effect whatsoever on the locked door.  
  
Relena retreated into her office, deciding that if this was a   
miniature assault force and they managed to break through the locks -   
easy if it was them who'd comandeered them - at least she'd have   
warning before having to face them.  
  
Speaking of miniature assault forces... she smiled at the thought   
of the Gundams and their pilots and lifted a small comm unit from her   
pocket, keying in Duo's number and waiting for his voice to come   
through.  
  
When nothing happened, she looked at it more closely and found   
nothing on the liquid crystal display. She stared at it and tried   
pressing the power button. Still nothing happened. She glanced up at   
Doug and found him holding his own comm unit, obviously having been as   
unsuccessful as herself.  
  
The bodyguard determindly took up a position at her shoulder and   
they waited tensely for whatever was going to happen next.  
  
==========  
  
Duo meandered into the house, surprised at the lack of lights,   
but figuring Relena had decided to stay late at work in order to finish   
up whatever it was she was doing. Maybe the meeting had run overtime   
or something. He stretched his arms above his head and made his way to   
the kitchen, where a light was shining brightly in comparison to the   
darkness that bathed the rest of the house. He paused in the dorrway,   
noting the presence of a friend sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a   
steaming mug of coffee and frowning at his laptop.  
  
"Hey Heero, what's the matter?"  
  
The Japanese man's head whipped around and he stared at Duo then   
glanced back down at the laptop, his frown growing more pronounced,   
"What are you doing here? Where's Relena? You're supposed to be   
protecting her."  
  
Duo almost flinced under the harshness of the accusations before   
straigtening, "Relax, I left her with Doug, who despite being a little   
simple-minded, is a very good bodyguard. You wouldn't have appointed   
him your secondary if you hadn't thought that."  
  
Heero scowled, "Duo..."  
  
"Loosen up, Heero. If there was something wrong, I would have   
heard about it. She has her comm unit and my number and she's smart   
enough to be able to use it, no matter what the circumstances."  
  
Still scowling, Heero turned back to his laptop and,   
astonishingly, bit his lip. Then he quickly pressed a few keys, spent   
the next few minutes typing furiously and looked up again, worry   
scrawled across his face.  
  
Duo frowned, wondering what was going on to make Heero look like   
that, "What's wrong? Is there something you're not telling me?"  
  
A shake of the head and Heero turned away again, standing and   
pouring himself another coffee. He took a sip and his shoulders   
slumped minutely, "Nothing's wrong. It-it's just not like Relena not   
to call if she's going to be late. I'm sure she's fine though, you   
would have heard something if there was a problem."  
  
Duo drew in a breath, staring at Heero's less-than-chipper   
posture, "You're starting to get me worried now, man. Maybe we should   
call her..." There was a slight tightness in his chest where worry was   
beginning to make itself known. If anything happened to her, he wasn't   
sure what he'd do, but she meant a lot to him already and he was sure   
it wouldn't do him any good. After all, look what he did following   
Hilde's death.  
  
Heero didn't reply, merely shifting uncomfortably from foot to   
foot and gulping a larger mouthful of coffee. His eyes were lost in   
thought, and Duo waited to see if he'd come up with any of those   
brilliant suggestions or deductions the way he sometimes did.  
  
When nothing was forthcoming, he frowned again, "Well, I'll call   
to make sure anyway."  
  
Again Heero said nothing.  
  
He fished his comm unit from his pocket and pressed the quick   
connection for Relena's, lifting it in front of his face and seeing   
nothing, not even a busy signal as the unit tried and failed to   
connect, finally popping up with a 'disconnected' message. Drawing in   
a deep breath, Duo let it out slowly.  
  
"I hope it's just her power that's run out," he mumbled,   
replacing the comm unit in his pocket.  
  
He saw Heero's head jerk upwards at his words and Prussian eyes   
stared at him, "What?"  
  
Duo ran a hand through his hair, "No connection. This is shaping   
up to be a bad evening. First a boring meeting with the paper followed   
by another inquisition and now this..." he straightened and sent a   
glance across at Heero. "Well, you going to come too?"  
  
Heero nodded his head once, taking a step forwards before looking   
at his laptop.  
  
"One moment. I have connections to her office with this and   
there's a tracking device in her car and her purse."  
  
Duo froze, wondering how he'd managed to get Relena to agree to   
that high a level of monitoring... then wondering if she knew at all.   
It would be just like Heero to sneak the devices into her gear without   
mentioning it to her. He could almost see Heero stealing her purses   
and sitting up all night with needle and thread, a glowlamp sitting on   
the table next to him, along with a small pile of bugs...  
  
He shook the image out of his mind and went to hang over Heero's   
shoulder, watching as he navigated the computer expertly and bought up   
a digital map, two small blue dots, almost on top of each other,   
blinking as they moved away from the UEA headquarters. Heero sighed.  
  
"She's in her car, so it's unlikely to be anything," he still   
sounded a little strained and neither of them removed their eyes from   
the dot as it came closer and closer to the estate. Despite the fairly   
short distance between the UEA headquarters and the house, it felt like   
and enternity to Duo and most likely to Heero also, given that he was   
only occassionally drawing breath.  
  
The car paused at the gates and then passed through, gifting   
Heero and Duo with the power to move again. They promptly did, heading   
directly for the side door where they knew Relena would enter, just in   
time to see her.  
  
She smiled tiredly when she saw them standing in front of her,   
concerned faces looking her over to make sure she was okay. Duo,   
despite the strain that was present in her face and the tense line of   
her shoulders, thought she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.  
  
"Are you okay, ojousan?"  
  
At his voice, she turned her eyes to him and smiled with more   
confidence, "Duo. Yes, thank you, I'm fine. Now."  
  
"What happened?" he stepped forwards and took her briefcase from   
her hand as he waved her through into the kitchen, thinking she could   
do with something hot to drink. She slipped past Heero who waited for   
Duo to pass before falling into place behind them.  
  
Relena glanced back over her shoulder, "I don't know. Everything   
was fine until I decided to leave and found the door to the office   
locked. We tried to override the system, but I don't think Doug's the   
brightest spark and doesn't know as much about computers as Heero.   
Then we tried my comm unit, but it ran out of power earlier this   
morning and I'd forgotten to recharge it."  
  
The blonde collapsed tiredly into one of the kitchen chairs while   
Heero silently poured a cup of coffee and added cream before setting it   
in front of her. Duo glanced at his friend as he took a seat   
perpendicular to his charge and almost frowned. That wasn't like him.   
Usually he made sure he was the one at the centre of the action, asking   
the questions he wanted answers to, and definitely not refusing to   
speak or even look at Relena. Which made Duo wonder what was going on   
- it was almost as though he was feeling...  
  
Duo's eyes widened brielfy and he quickly stood and, using the   
pretext of making himself coffee, managed to recompose himself. Why,   
_why_ would Heero lock Relena in her office? he combination of what   
seemed like guilt, his unusual actions and the glance that Duo had   
gotten of the laptop's screen earlier all seemed to add up to the   
conclusion that it was Heero's doing. He had no idea why, and had it   
been anyone but Heero, he might have been suspiscious of his designs.   
But Heero he was and there had to be a logical reason.  
  
Which meant that Heero was going to have to explain it to him.  
  
His eyes narrowed in sudden determination and he turned back to   
the table with a small grin in place, hiding his intentions from Heero   
- who probably guessed them anyway going by the lack of eye contact.   
Tomorrow... he promised himself and headed for bed after seeing Relena   
safely to her room.  
  
==========  
  
Relena smiled happily, not having felt this good in ages, despite   
the scare of the day before. It had been strange when nothing had   
happened after the door was locked - apart from it's being just as   
mysteriously unlocked an hour after they first discovered the problem.   
She'd written it off as a bug in the program and headed home. The   
disquiet the scare had caused had remained somewhat longer, though,   
only fading away completely when she had hot, bitter coffee in her   
stomach and two concerned friends sitting at the table with her.  
  
She'd gone to bed feeling quite safe, glad that their rooms were   
metres from her own and fell asleep still feeling the warmth of an   
amaryllis gaze on her own as Duo had quietly bid her goodnight at her   
door. She'd watched as he'd walked down the hallway to his own,   
mesmerised by the sway of his braid and had flushed when he'd glanced   
back, raised his eyebrows then grinned. Then there was only the danger   
of having pleasant dreams, rather than the ones she had been dreading.  
  
After the night of predicted dreams, she'd gone downstairs for   
breakfast a little flushed, only to find Duo was on duty again that   
day, Heero mentioning something about ironing out system bugs for the   
day. She hadn't complained and now had the pleasure of an almost date   
with Duo.  
  
There was a gala being held by the L4 Colony Embassy and, having   
completely forgotten about the necessity of a date, as usual, had been   
quite happy to accept Duo's suggestion that he escort her. That way,   
he said, he'd be able to watch her from even closer than otherwise, and   
given his profession and status, he could quite easily pass as her   
date.  
  
So, here she was, her hand lying lightly on Duo's arm as they   
walked through the flashbulbs on either side of the red-carpeted   
entrance and into the hotel where the gala was being held.  
  
"Weird," Duo muttered next to her and she turned her head,   
tilting it up in enquiry.  
  
"Being on this side of the cameras," he flashed her a grin and   
laughed. "I hate to think what Jacinta, Mike and Marta are going to   
say when they see this... if they're not here."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You remember, the three reporter-types that came to your   
interview?"  
  
"Oh, yes," and sure enough she remembered the friendly group of   
people who had delayed the reunion with Duo for a few hours. He'd   
obviously been in touch with them since - which would explain the few   
afternoon meetings where he'd left Doug to do the bodyguarding and   
taken himself off who-knew-where.  
  
"The keep asking me how I know you, etc, etc. It's kinda funny   
really."  
  
Relena smiled back, finding herself standing in the foyer of the   
hotel, the reporters and cameramen having been completely blanked from   
her mind as she talked to Duo, "What have you told them?"  
  
"As little as possible. They might be great people, but they're   
still reporters," he wrinkled his nose and Relena had to laugh at the   
adorable sight.  
  
"Duo! Relena!" A familiar alto voice broke in on their   
conversation and they turned to face the blonde President of Winner   
Incorporated, a wide smile still on Relena's face and a twinkle in her   
eyes.  
  
"Quatre, good to see you," Duo smiled, the two men shaking hands   
firmly, memories flashing between them.  
  
"Good evening, Quatre.I didn't think you were due to come   
today?" He'd mentioned coming to Sally and Wufei's wedding - there was   
no way he would miss that - but he'd also mentioned that he wouldn't be   
attending the gala. It was too close to the wedding and there wasn't   
any real reason for him to go, despite his status within the L4   
colonies. So it was a little surprising to see him there.  
  
"Something came up with in one of the European branches and since   
I was here and Heero mentioned that Duo was around, I thought I'd drop   
by and see if I could tag along when you went home afterwards. But   
since he's here, maybe I won't have to do that."  
  
Together, the three of them continued on their way into the main   
ballroom, nodding to various acquaintences and stopping to greet those   
they couldn't ignore.  
  
"Ambassador Beverley, it's a pleasure to see you here," Relena   
spoke, offering her hand to the elderly American who grinned   
delightedly and bent over her hand. He was a wonderful old man and   
full of gallantry that so few people allowed him to practice - it was   
one of the reasons they got on so well.  
  
"It's a pleasure, indeed, Lady Relena," his sharp blue eyes   
flickered in the direction of her comapnions and she smiled as she   
indicated them.  
  
"May I introduce you to two very good friends, Quatre Winner and   
Duo Maxwell."  
  
The three men shook hands politely and murmured greetings,   
looking each other over at the same time. Relena watched the   
manouveuring with a tiny amused smile that widened when they decided on   
mutual respect.  
  
"Winner, hmm. That's a name I've been hearing a lot of. Good to   
meet you, young man."  
  
"You too, sir."  
  
"Maxwell, Maxwell... that name, however, is a little unfamiliar."  
  
It was a question and they all knew it.  
  
The braided man grinned, "Unlike yours. I'm merely a wandering   
photographer."  
  
"Aha! Duo Maxwell. The Remnants Collection. I recall that   
exhibition - marvellous work. There were all the little things that   
bring home the true results of war. I think Khushrenada would have   
learnt something from that exhibition if it had been around before the   
war."  
  
Relena smiled at the half-amused, half-horrified look on Duo's   
face and remained silent in order to watch his reaction.  
  
"Thanks, I think. As for the little things - I learnt all about   
them growing up on the colonies."  
  
"Colony-born, huh? Well, good for you."  
  
"Uh, yeah, thanks."  
  
Taking that as the introductions over and done with, Relena   
steered them towards another acquaintence, making small talk as an   
orchestra played and the murmur of conversations rose in volume with   
the imbibing of alcohol. Not that anyone drank enough to get drunk,   
merely loosen things up a little.  
  
Relena herself had been nursing the same glass of champagne for   
an hour when Duo suddenly asked her to dance.  
  
"I'm a little bored with answering the same questions again and   
again and I'd _much_ rather be dancing with you, even if it is just the   
waltz."  
  
Relena happily agreed and they made their way onto the dance   
floor where Duo twirled her into his arms and they glided around the   
area. Feeling a lot like laying her head against his shoulder, she   
just managed to refrain, instead deciding to instigate a conversation.   
Maybe it would take her mind away from how heavenly it felt to be   
dancing so closely with Duo.  
  
"So, where did you learn to dance?"  
  
Duo jerked a little, staring down at her then dropping his eyes,   
shoulders shaking in amusement, "Oh, I don't know if I should tell you   
that. You might not approve."  
  
A pang of something rang through her and she frowned, "Oh?"  
  
Duo was smiling as he lifted his eyes again, "Mm. An ex-  
girlfriend-type. She was a dancer in the Russian Republic[2] and since   
I was doing some free-lancing for an article she insisted I learn a few   
things. I ended up staying a little longer than planned, but at least   
I learned to dance."  
  
Again the pang flashed through Relena, this time strong enough   
for her to recognise it as something approaching jealousy. Which meant   
she was further along than she'd thought, "What was she like?"  
  
Duo pulled her a little closer, enclosing her more firmly within   
his arms and gave her a smile that she'd never seen before, "'Lena, she   
doesn't even begin to compare to you."  
  
Heat blossomed in her cheeks and she ducked her head at Duo's low   
chuckle, wishing he hadn't guessed how she'd felt - not that it had   
been difficult. Then she realised what he'd actually said and blushed   
even more furiously. Did that mean he liked her too?  
  
She was kept from finding out by a sudden jerk on her wrist that   
swung her around as the sound of a gunshot rang through the room. She   
lost her balance and ended up with one knee on the floor, her wrist   
trapped in Duo's hand behind his back and staring in confusion at the   
crowds surrounding the dance floor. She had no idea what was going on   
until a few gasps and screams motivated her to turn her head back in   
Duo's direction. He was busy glaring at someone, a gun held extended   
in his hand, having appeared from wherever he had it hidden. She   
followed the line of the gun barrell and saw a thin, wiry man dressed   
in a tuxedo glaring back, the gun in his hand mirroring Duo's.   
  
Sound in the ballroom died to nothing as the two men stared at   
each other, neither moving. Then there was a click that could be heard   
in the sound-void and Quatre appeared from behind the man, so much   
taller than himself. He also had a gun which was held to the man's   
head.  
  
A small smirk passed across the man's face before he suddenly   
turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger without hesitation.   
Relena blinked and the man had disappeared, having fallen to the ground   
and she was left staring at Quatre's shocked face, his revolver still   
held in position.  
  
Duo dropped her hand and, out of the corner of her eye, she could   
see him tuck it back under his jacket before crouching next to her,   
"'Lena? You okay?"  
  
She glanced at him with wide shocked eyes, "What... just   
happened?"  
  
"I have no idea," the American's voice was grim, his eyes hard,   
"But I'm going to do what I can to find out."  
  
He held out his hand and pulled Relena to her feet, passing her   
across to Ambassador Beverley before heading across to his ex-comrade   
and the gathering security.   
  
Relena watched them blankly, not seeing or hearing anything   
except the man on the floor and the two ex-Gundam pilots until a gentle   
hand guided her away from the scene.  
  
She was ushered quietly away from the hotel, handed into the   
limousine and driven away. A gentle hand stroked the back of hers all   
the way back to her house, murmuring quietly and soothingly until she   
felt Heero's hands on her shoulders and allowed him to put her to bed.  
  
She curled up and allowed her eyes to close, wishing the sight of   
a bony finger pulling a trigger out of her mind.  
  
==========  
  
Heero closed Relena's door quietly, a worried frown pulling his   
eyebrows together. He sighed and checked to make sure the door was   
firmly shut before making his way downstairs, his mind still on the   
woman curled up in the middle of her bed, looking suddenly much younger   
and more vulnerable than she had earlier that evening. He didn't think   
he'd ever seen her looking like that in all their long acquaintence,   
despite everything that had happened.  
  
He nodded in greeting to Beverley, who'd made himself comfortable   
in the formal lounge and thanked him for staying.  
  
"What I'd like to know, Yuy, is why you weren't around to protect   
her," the old man demanded, his eyes stern in the weathered face.  
  
Heero bowed his head and took the seat across from this man he'd   
come to respect, "I was working to protect her here. Maxwell was   
supposed to be protecting her at the gala."  
  
And Duo was going to hear about not doing his job too, Heero   
mused to himself, holding any possible anger at bay.  
  
"Maxwell's job? I thought he was a photographer?"  
  
Heero inclined his head, "He is. But he was a Gundam pilot   
during the war."  
  
"Ah, so that's how he managed to get Relena out of the way,   
despite the fact that they both looked completely oblivious to   
everything but each other..."  
  
Heero wondered at that; absorbed in each other...?  
  
"Of course, he actually had a gun in the ballroom with him -   
along with the Winner boy - so maybe that should have tipped me off."  
  
"Quatre was there?" What on Earth was Quatre doing here? The   
day before, when he'd left the blonde's house, the plan was still to   
come a few days before the wedding.  
  
"Indeed he was, looking rather vulnerable up to the point where   
he had the gun to the assailants head. Interesting young man that. He   
was also a Gundam pilot if I'm not mistaken?"  
  
"Mm," Heero murmured, knowing all too well the impression Quatre   
gave and the steel beneath it.  
  
"Well, at least now that he's dead you won't have to worry about   
him killing Relena as he's been threatening to do. That, at least, is   
something."  
  
Heero nodded then turned his head, catching a movement at the   
door.  
  
Duo was standing there looking serious, his mouth set in a   
serious line as he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed.   
He remained silent, though his eyes flashed as he and Heero looked at   
each other.  
  
Beverley also noticed him, "Ah, Maxwell, wonderful job in saving   
Relena."  
  
Duo inclined his head, still cold and silent, his eyes not   
leaving Heero's form, making he Prussian-eyed man shift uncomfortably.   
He hadn't known Duo was capable of such a look and he had to admit that   
it made him feel more like prey than he had since he was a child. He   
wondered why Duo felt the need to watch him like that.  
  
Beverley glanced back and forwards between the two of them,   
obviously as baffled as Heero was, "Er, well... It looks like the two   
of you have something to discuss so I'll just head off now. Okay.   
Goodbye."  
  
The old man shuffled out, past the unmoving man at the door, who   
lowered his eyes in farewell before returning his focus to Heero. Both   
young men remained frozen right through until they heard the front door   
closed, then suddenly the braided American was stalking forwards.   
  
Heero stood hastily and squared his shoulders, still trying to   
figure out what Duo's problem was with him. Then Duo was standing   
directly in front of him and his hands came up, grasping at the lapels   
of Heero's jacket and yanking him closer. Heero hadn't quite realised   
just how big Duo had grown over the past few years...   
  
"First you lock her into her office, then you fucking _forget_ to   
tell me something that has a lot to do with her safety. How do you   
expect me to be able to protect her when you don't tell me   
everything!" Duo yelled in Heero's face, shaking him hard.  
  
Heero's eyes widened, "What?"  
  
"The freak from tonight, someone informed me, was some fucking   
psycho who's been threatening Relena for the past year and you knew   
about it. Don't you think it was something you should have mentioned?"  
  
Duo's voice had dropped into a dangerous purr, and Heero   
swallowed at the menace in his eyes, wondering how he was going to get   
out of this.  
  
"Er..."  
  
"You're going to come with me, right now and tell me   
_everything_, every _fucking_ thing, you forgot to tell me earlier.   
And I don't care if it takes all night and all of tomorrow too."  
  
Heero nodded his agreement, never having seen Duo like this and   
rather unnerved by the experience. Duo dropped him back to his feet,   
having raised him to his toes earlier and took ahold of his bicep   
instead, pulling him in the direction of the door. Heero managed to   
get out of the grip, but continued moving in the direction, realising   
that it had been his job to tell Duo but, in his excitement at his   
thoughts about Relena and Duo, had completely forgotten.   
  
By the time they reached the security room, he was feeling as   
icily angry at himself as Duo was and quite willingly began a complete   
runthrough of what had been happening up till now. So absorbed was he   
in his failure and hellbent on rectifying it before more damage could   
be done, that he forgot that tongith had been Duo's last one on the   
job.  
  
==========  
  
Duo yawned tiredly as he headed away from the security room where   
Heero was still hunched over his laptop, pouring through old and new   
data, his determination to protect at fever pitch. He doubted his   
Japanese friend would bother sleeping at all tonight and hoped his   
anger would be able to fuel him through the next day.  
  
He glanced down at his right arm as a twinge of pain once again   
made itself known. He smiled wryly to himself, glad he'd chosen the   
black tuxedo instead of the white. He'd managed to hide the fact that   
he'd been hit instead of Relena, but it was getting to be a pain -   
literally. He'd bandaged it as best he could with a handkerchief and   
bowtie in the back of a taxi, and headed to the hospital briefly.   
They'd done things properly and given him a few painkillers to help him   
through the worst before he headed back to Relena's.   
  
The painkillers he'd been given at the hospital were wearing off   
though and he was looking forwards to taking another and drifting to   
sleep.  
  
He paused at the door to his bedroom as a slight noise caught his   
attention and he glanced up the corridor. The small moan that had   
distracted him came again, from the direction of Relena's room and he   
sighed before walking toward her door. He knocked softly and when no   
answer came took a deep breath and let himself in.  
  
The light from the hallway drifted across the room, illuminating   
an elongated trapezoid against the thick carpet. It fell short of the   
bed, but there was enough light already within the room for the shadowy   
shape to be easily visible. He took a few steps towards it, noting the   
uneasy stirring of the figure in the centre of the bed and the slight   
sounds of distress emerging from there.  
  
He sat himself on the edge of the bed and leaned over, laying his   
hand on Relena's shoulder. She remained asleep, still restless, so he   
spoke, "Relena?"  
  
Blue eyes flew open and she gasped loudly, half-sitting up before   
she realised where she was.  
  
"Relena, are you okay?"  
  
Duo took in the horrified look in her eyes and immediately   
shifted closer, drawing her innexorably into his arms. She remained   
stiff for a few seconds, obviously not used to human contact, then she   
went limp and boneless, burying her face against his chest and sliding   
her arms around his chest. He lifted a hand and began gently running   
his hand through her hair, the other lying lightly against the small of   
her back.  
  
"It's okay, 'Lena, everything's okay."  
  
Her shoulders shook a little and she mumbled, "Why? Why did he   
do that? I don't understand."  
  
"I don't know, 'Lena. Some people just fixate on things and,   
well, do thing like this."  
  
"What should I have done? There must have been something I could   
have done?"  
  
Duo smiled sadly, "Really? Did you know him? Had you ever met   
him before? It wasn't your fault."  
  
Silence as Relena's arms tightened around him and she turned her   
head until her temple was resting against his chest and she was staring   
off into the shadows of her room.  
  
"I know..." she whispered suddenly. "I know. I've been through   
counselling more than once, but I can't help but think there was   
something I could have done."  
  
"It's the same for me. Everytime I think back to the war or   
Hilde or other times when people have been hurt, I always start on the   
'what if's'. And everytime I have to remind myslef there was nothing I   
could have done at the time. And at least no one else was hurt,   
right?"  
  
Relena sighed softly, "Yeah."  
  
Duo refrained from mentioning his own injury given it was merely   
a physical one and nothing that would efect him very much, apart from   
the pain. The bullet had passed directly through the muscle in his   
arm, almost touching the bone, then had continued on. He'd been glad   
there was no one else in it's path.  
  
They both fell into silence then, Duo's hand continuing to run   
through Relena's hair until her breathing became deep and regular and   
his eyelids pulled themselves closed, his hand stilled and he drifted   
off.  
  
==========  
  
A few hours later, Heero cracked the door open to check on his   
charge and paused at the sight of Duo and Relena entwined in each   
others arms.   
  
And his previous decision to leave things alone for safety's sake   
died a sudden death. They looked _right_ together, after all, and it   
was in their best interests if he continued in his plans.  
  
He smiled and left the two where they were.  
  
==========  
  
It was a couple of days later before Quatre decided to stop by,   
Relena having been forced to issue a formal invitation before he could   
be dragged away from work. Trowa, having followed his lover to Earth   
also came, standing silently in the background while greetings were   
made. Dorothy had also followed, having heard about the small   
gathering from Quatre and perfectly willing to crash a party she   
thought she was entitled to attend. There were no protests and the six   
of them made their way into the lounge.  
  
Like the well-trained hostess she was, Relena graciously offered   
drinks to her guests and passed the order onto the housekeeper - the   
single permanent member of her staff who ran the house from the   
shadows. When she turned back to the room, she found everyone   
comfortably arranged around the room. Heero was sitting in his usual   
chair, Quatre and Trowa sitting sedately next to each other on one sofa   
and Dorothy having seated herself next to Duo on the other.  
  
She smiled at all her friends and took the remaining chair,   
smoothing her skirt across her knees and listening to Quatre and   
Dorothy exchanging news. Dorothy had followed her into politics,   
perhaps predictably working for the defence department. She did more   
for Preventers funding than even Relena and was advocating the   
dissablement of large-scale destructive weapons. They'd been working   
rather closely together at times and they had become friends, or as   
close to it as possible for people as different as they were.  
  
"And you Maxwell? You must have so much to tell us since you've   
been gone so long."  
  
Relena glanced across to where Dorothy had turned her attention   
to Duo, her hand lifting to settle against his forearm. She frowned a   
little at the casual, yet suspisciously sensual touch and found her   
attention firmly caught as a result. Not that she didn't want to hear   
more about what Duo had been doing...  
  
"This and that," Duo grinned at Dorothy, seemingly oblivious to   
the hand on his arm. "You probably know what it's like when you travel   
around the world and colonies without any idea where you're going or   
what you'll do next."  
  
"Sounds exciting," the tall, blonde woman purred, shifting a   
little closer.  
  
Relena tensed at the undercurrent in Dorothy's voice and waited   
for Duo's reaction, unsure how to react when he smiled back, responding   
to it.  
  
"Mmm," it was a purr that mirrored Dorothy's. "You tend to, er,   
_meet_ a fair number of very, very interesting people and see quite a   
few interesting sights."  
  
Dorothy paused briefly, some slight disappointment passing   
through her eyes, then it was gone, "Oh?" Her eyebrows arched and she   
shifted even closer, her arm curling around the American's. "Sounds   
like you've had quite a lot of experience."  
  
Duo laughed, "Maybe here's not the best place to tell you about   
all of it, hmm?"   
  
He glanced up from the blonde, the focus of all eyes in the room   
and caught everyone's eyes one by one, Relena's last. The laughter   
that flashed through them when he looked at her made her thoughts pause   
and she wondered what he was trying to tell her. Pondering the   
mystery, she leaned back into her seat and watched everything   
curiously, occassionally adding a few words here or there. Quatre,   
Dorothy and Heero kept giving her strange looks, which added to mystery   
and by the time they went in for dinner, the need to know what was   
going on was tugging at her quite sharply.  
  
But she restrained herself from demanding to know what was going   
on and sat at the head of the table, Duo and Quatre flanking her,   
Dorothy still at the American's side, Trowa across from her and Heero   
at the other end. The conversation continued, pausing every know and   
then for Dorothy to whisper in Duo's ear or vice versa until Heero was   
busy glaring at the two of them in irritation.  
  
And there were moments when Relena wanted to join him,   
particularly after an evil and seductive laugh on Dorothy's part.   
Surely Duo wasn't going to fall for something like this - he had much   
better taste than that, didn't he?   
  
After dinner, when they adjourned back to the lounge, Quatre   
manouveured himself into position beside Dorothy, Heero taking Trowa to   
see something of his, leaving Duo and Relena standing on the porch just   
outside the longue.  
  
Duo laughed suddenly, "They're not that good at this."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Duo turned to her, leaning back against the railing, the full   
moon a suitable backdrop for the pale skin and black clothing, "It's   
obvious. All of them are trying to get the two of us together. You   
should have heard Quatre and Trowa earlier, before you got home. They   
were so busy telling me about you - Quatre anyway - and how wonderful   
you are that they had to be reminded about Sally and Wufei's wedding.   
Then the Dorothy-thing. I mean, do they _really_ think the whole   
jealousy-scenario would actually work?"  
  
Relena stared at the American in surprise, "You think they're   
trying to set _us_ up?"  
  
Duo's teeth flashed in the moonlight, "Exactly. Heero's been   
acting strangely since I got here - I think he went for the holiday so   
we'd end up spending time with each other. Then there was the time you   
got locked in your office - that was him to. Unfortunately he forgot   
to check who was actually on duty at the time."  
  
Relena blinked and frowned. _Heero_ had been responsible for   
that? Of all the... he was going to hear about that. Despite the fact   
that she'd been safe, it had been terrifying to feel trapped in the   
office without any means of communication to the outside world. Though   
it would explain why both hers and Doug's comm units hadn't worked and   
the security system had supposedly malfunctioned.  
  
"I can't believe he'd do that," she murmured, not really   
believing he wouldn't.  
  
Shrugging, Duo stared out into the garden, "I wasn't entirely   
sure about it at first either, but I checked the security logs and he   
was logged in at the time. And now Dorothy, Quatre and Trowa are   
involved too. I wonder what they're planning to do next?"  
  
"So you were just playing along with her?"  
  
Duo suddely stepped closer, a hand coming to rest on her waist as   
he pulled her closer, "Mmhmm. At the moment there's only one woman I'm   
really interested in."  
  
Suddenly breathless, Relena stared up at the glittering eyes   
above her, not moving when they moved closer. Her eyes drifted shut   
and she felt a brief puff of air against her lips before Duo closed the   
distance between them completely. His lips brushed gently against hers   
and lingered before drawing away.  
  
She opened her eyes to find Duo still watching her, a soft smile   
quirking his lips and looking very, very appealing... She rose onto   
her tiptoes and, sliding her arms around his neck, closed the distance   
between them again. Their mouths caught and held, and their grips on   
one another tightened as they drew closer together. Relena's heart was   
beating heavily, blood throbbing through her veins, a deep langour   
overtaking her until she wasn't sure her legs would hold her.  
  
Then Duo's tongue flicked across her bottom lip and she   
instinctively gasped, allowing him access to her mouth. But she wasn't   
about to remain passive when things were this good and immediately   
guided his tongue into her mouth, sucking on it lightly.  
  
Duo suddenly pulled away, his breathing heavy, "God... 'Lena..."  
  
Relena herself wasn't too steady and leaned forwards to rest her   
forehead lightly against his chest while she regained her breath,   
"Duo..."  
  
"Does this mean they have no work to do?" he whispered quietly,   
his hands burying themselves in the ends of her hair.  
  
"Guess so," she whispered back.  
  
They remained quiet, holding one another in the darkness of the   
front porch as the knowledge of mutual interest settled deep within   
themselves.   
  
Duo sighed and, running his hands up her arms, pulled her gently   
away from himself, smiling down at her, "Are we going to tell them?"  
  
Relena tipped her head to one side, contemplating the mischief in   
dark, amaryllis eyes and the desire for a small revenge against Heero   
for what he'd done, and Dorothy for even pretending to lure Duo away.   
Then she smiled, "Not just yet."  
  
"Ah, good. Just think of the help they could be in getting time   
to be alone together."  
  
Relena agreed, pulling completely away from this man who had come   
to mean so much to her in such a short time, "In that case, shall we go   
in and give them te chance to set things going? I'm sure they already   
have _something_ planned."  
  
==========  
  
Heero glanced around the room, noting that things seemed to be   
going quite, quite well. Relena was looking sufficiently sexy to   
entice just about anyone, Duo, as her date by default, was being   
flatteringly attentive.  
  
The short notice given by Dorothy regarding her party had meant   
that both Duo and Relena had been unable to get dates, leaving them   
with one another for the evening. Which was exactly how they'd all   
planned it and was the reason they'd deliberately forgotten to give   
them the invitation. It was also the reason why Dorothy had planned   
the party in the first place, something else they were going to forget   
to mention. It had also - according to Dorothy - also given her the   
reason necessary to dress Relena up in one of her gowns rather than the   
demure dresses Relena usually wore to such functions.  
  
And he had to admit Dorothy had done a superb job and if they   
hadn't long ago established that friendship was the only thing they had   
going for them...   
  
She was dressed in a sparkling ice blue dress that shimmered as   
it flowed down her body, not revealing exactly, but clinging in all the   
right places. The rhinestone studded high-heel sandals she was wearing   
were helping matters, making her walk something almost vulnerable and   
causing her hips to sway a little more than usual. Add to that the   
slightly-curled hair tumbling enticingly over her shoulders, the single   
diamond in the small of her throat and the silver ankle chain and   
Relena was looking more stunning than he'd ever seen her.  
  
Duo had pursed his lips in a silent whistle when he'd seen her -   
a promising sign - and had barely taken his eyes off her since. Not   
that Relena had been any different - obviously appreciating the casual   
black suit the American was wearing with a pale grey open-necked shirt.  
  
Dorothy, seeing him, had muttered something about being sorry she   
hadn't asked him to be her date, leaving Heero feeling a little piqued.   
He knew he wasn't the greatest possible choice, but he surely wasn't   
that bad.  
  
He'd shrugged off the slight pang and set about making sure the   
evening went as planned.   
  
"I hope you don't mind if I stay a little longer, do you Relena?   
It just seems a little stupid to head off so soon before the wedding."  
  
Heero tuned his hearing in to the conversation being held a few   
metres behind him, mentally urging Relena to allow an extended   
imposition.   
  
"That's a good idea, we wouldn't want him to miss out on our   
wedding, would we Wufei?" Sally Po spoke, ever present amusement in her   
voice.  
  
Heero scowled though, wondering why it was that Quatre and Trowa   
and Dorothy felt everyone had to know about the plan. It was getting   
to the point where everytime someone said something of a personal   
nature to either of them, he felt nervous. Surely if this went on,   
they were going to figure out what was going on.  
  
"That's fine, Duo. You're welcome to stay as long as you like.   
After all, you're one of Heero's best friends."  
  
"Great, thanks."  
  
"That's okay."  
  
The two moved away and Heero found himself flanked by Sally and   
Wufei.  
  
"Are you sure they don't know what's going on?" Sally asked,   
skepticism in her eyes. "I seems very much like they're acting at   
times."  
  
"I agree, there's something about all this that seems rehearsed."  
  
Heero shrugged away the memory of similar feelings, "I suppose   
it's possible, but neither of them have said anything and they're not   
exactly the sort to remain silent."  
  
Sally pursed her lips in thought, "Maybe, but still..." Her eyes   
followed Duo and Relena's progression across the room.  
  
"Dorothy and Quatre believe it's Relena's appearance that's   
amking them act a little strange."  
  
"Hmm. Clothes very rarely do that to people, Heero. Even if   
they do know, at least they're cooperating, I guess."  
  
Wufei's lips quirked upwards at Sally's statement, "I'm not   
entirely sure about that. Would you like to dance?"  
  
Sally glanced at her fiance and grinned, "Why, I'd love too,   
Wufei. Thank you."  
  
They swept onto the floor and Heero was once again alone with his   
thoughts and wondering whether Sally and Wufei were right. Maybe there   
was someway to find out? And maybe Trowa could help him think of   
something. He headed in the direction he'd seen the green-eyed man his   
mind already trying to come up with something.  
  
=========  
  
"I think they're starting to suspect that we suspect what they're   
up to."  
  
Duo glanced across at Relena where she sat in the car, arrested   
once again by the sight of her and wishing they'd spent the evening   
alone together instead of in the middle of crowds of friends they were   
supposed to be putting off track.   
  
He was finding it rather difficult keeping himself from giving it   
all away each time he saw her. It was becoming harder and harder not   
to touch her in public, especially after the time they'd spent in   
private holding each other and occassionally more. He was almost at   
the point where he didn't care about the whole not-letting-them-know-  
we-know thing and one of these days he was going to break down and hold   
her hand or hug her and all would be revealed.  
  
And he told Relena exactly that, appreciating the smile that   
grace her face and the slight catch in her breathing. He shifted from   
the seat across from her, pulling her closer and cradling her face in   
his hands.  
  
"'Lena, I adore you and despite the fact that it _is_ amusing   
seeing Heero try to be a matchmaker, I would prefer to be able to just   
be with you," he kissed her eyelids gently, feeling her lashes flutter   
against his lips. He kissed the tip of her nose then her lips, not   
letting them go until he was out of breath and Relena had sagged   
against him.  
  
"It's the same for me, I guess. I don't really care anymore   
about Heero and the Office Incident. You think we should tell them?"  
  
"No need to go that far. We could just stop pretending and I'm   
sure they'd figure it out sooner or later."  
  
Relena sighed, "I don't think it would take them that long."  
  
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Duo lowered his head   
and began nibbling on her neck, loving the way she tipped her head back   
to give him better access. And the way her fingers went to his scalp,   
digging into the hair at his temples, regardless of the way it caused   
his braid to become dishevelled. Then she was undoing the braid   
itself, separating the sections of hair until it drifted down his back   
in a single mass.  
  
He sat up, glancing up at her curiously as she gathered fistfuls   
of it and tugged on it. She was staring at it, fascinated, and smiled   
at him in delight, "It's quite amazing. I've never seen a man with   
hair this long before."  
  
Duo grinned, "Given how long it took me to grow, I doubt you'll   
see many others."  
  
"Why did you grow it?"  
  
"Memories. It just seemed a good way to remember what was   
improtant to me - friends, family, things like that," he picked up a   
fistful of his own hair and looked at it. "You're in there too, now.   
And you always will be."  
  
Relena smiled a bittersweet smile and Duo noted the tears   
suddenly blurring her eyes, "'Lena?"  
  
She shook her head, still smiling.  
  
Duo lifted his hand, the hair still held within it and dried her   
tears, "Nothing to be sad about, Relena."  
  
Relena shook her head again, "No, not sad. Happy. I love you,   
Duo."  
  
Freezing, Duo stared at her for long seconds as she continued to   
smile and cry, then he was kissing her fiercely trying to show her that   
he felt the same and murmured, "Love you too."  
  
==========  
  
Relena's heart was still feeling all warm and fuzzy when she   
stepped out of the car back at her house. Her hand was clasped firmly   
in his and he didn't let it go, even when they saw Heero standing on   
the front porch with Dorothy and the rest of their friends. Not that   
the state of Duo's hair and the wide smiles on their faces wouldn't   
give away what they'd been doing anyway.  
  
She felt giddy as they neared their friends, taking in the   
surprised and pleased looks on their faces and the tiny bit of chagrin   
as it became clear that they had no more work to do.  
  
"So, you _are_ together," Sally said, amusement colouring her   
voice.  
  
Duo pulled Relena closer to his side and lifted their joined   
hands to his lips, brushing her knuckles with a kiss, "Something like   
that. We thank you for all your help, by the way."  
  
Relena smiled, stepping closer to Heero and leaning up to kiss   
his cheek, her hand remaining firmly in Duo's, "Thank you, Heero."  
  
Heero looked a little startled then shrugged, a smile blooming in   
his eyes, "You're welcome."  
  
"Just watch out, huh? There's no telling what we're planning on   
doing now and I'm sure everyone would love to see you happily married   
or in a relationship of some sort. I even have someone in mind..."  
  
Eyes widening in horror, Heero stared at the wide grin on Duo's   
face and twitched uncomfortably.  
  
Relena laughed, completely happy in the presence of her friends   
and the man she loved and looked forwards, eagerly, to the future. She   
and Duo were going to take it slow and easy, neither foolish enough to   
rush into something even faster than they had been.   
  
The few weeks since they'd met again had flown past, and despite   
the fact that they felt like they'd known each other forever, they both   
wanted to be completely sure before making that final commitment.  
  
But it would come, of that there was no doubt and for now, there   
were the euphoric bubbles in her veins and Duo's hand in hers to keep   
her satisfied.  
  
===Owari===  
  
Yes, I know Hilde appears briefly at the end of Endless Waltz, so   
consider this an alternate universe, or her appearance as one of Duo's   
memories - ignoring Duo's change in clothes ^_^  
  
[1] Cotton candy, for those who aren't sure.  
[2] It's possible... even after all that time. And it's easier than   
coming up with names for new countries.  
  
It's been years since I did a photography course, so I can't remember   
the exact process or times involved so please put any mistakes down to   
technological advances/differences or ignore them altogether.  
  
http://www.geocities.com/sefilin/  
sefilin@yahoo.com 


End file.
